Fate Has Its Own Path
by Brianna Summers
Summary: Ash and Misty, now engaged, start a future together; with plans, of course. But Fate doesn't always respect what you want... Pokeshipping -COMPLETE AFTER AN INCREDIBLY LONG TIME!-
1. Chapter 1: Twinkle

****DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of Pokémon! Not any of it! I wish to, sometimes, but I don't...****

**Shippings in this fic: Pokéshipping (duh), some minor Contestshipping, minor Gary x OC (that should actually be Leaf, but I'm too lazy to change it.)**

**This is my first story. I love how it's turning out so far. **

**Enjoy!**

Ash gazed lovingly at his sleeping fiancée, who was curled up gently next to him. Her fire-red hair glowed softly in the dim moonlight streaming through the window, and her usual scowl was replaced by a small smile. He couldn't help but love the woman he'd known since he was ten years old, now for over half his life. He stroked her hair tenderly, thinking of the night a few months ago when he'd proposed. It was a beautiful moment for both of them to remember, and he loved to think of it whenever he couldn't sleep. The memory entered his mind, and it filled him with warmth. She'd never seen it coming.

Ash had taken her out for a romantic evening, leaving Pikachu at home (against the electric Pokémon's will until Ash explained his plan). He'd slipped the ring into the pocket of his suit. The small box couldn't even be seen. The two had enjoyed a wonderful dinner, and were taking a walk on the Cerulean city beach, which was completely dead at that time of night, with a bright moon shining like the sun.

He remembered how beautiful the red-haired woman had looked. A sleeveless turquoise dress that fell down almost to her ankles, her long hair up in a gorgeous braided design. She hated heels, and had donned a pair of white sandals for the June night. But as they walked in the sand, both were barefoot.  
Suddenly, he stopped. She didn't complain. It was nice just to hold her, his girlfriend, tightly in his arms and the waves rolled gently onto the sand, the only noise around. It was nice just to be with her; alone and together tonight.

He reached up to her face with one of his hands. Her face, so smooth and soft, so warm. And her eyes, closed now, so bright with an emerald light. Slowly he kissed her, gently but passionately, and she responded well. His other hand rested curled around the small of her back, her own hands loosely around his neck.

Carefully he pulled back. She gave him a warm smile as he reached into his pocket for the small blue velvet box. As he held it out to her, she looked surprised, shaking slightly as if she already knew what it contained.

"Misty," he said once her hands were firmly gripping the small box, "I love you. So much. And I never want to leave your side." She opened the box, very slowly, it seemed like eternity before she saw it. Then she gasped, barely audibly, but the beach was too quiet. Ash heard it.

"Marry me?"

The redheaded woman was almost on the verge of tears, something she hardly ever was, certainly never around him. She stood there, in shock, gazing at the ring. It was silver, with gems in all sorts of blues from sky to sapphire inlaid; and one emerald, the color of her eyes, which were now beginning to mist over.

"Oh, Ash," she whispered, barely breathed the words. "Of course I will. I love you. I love you more than you know. Yes, Ash. Yes, yes!"

The tears almost spilled out of her eyes. He slipped the ring onto her finger, which shone brightly as the moonlight hit its jewels. Then he embraced her, wrapping her tightly in a grasp that would have left her gasping for air, but she could barely breathe anyway.

They broke apart, eventually, and continued walking down the beach, with her grasping his arm tight, as if she would never let go, like they would stay in the moment forever. Her ring shone brighter with each step, and she couldn't help but look at it and think of how amazing her boyfriend - no, fiancée - was. He, in turn, couldn't stop looking at her, thinking of her, and how gorgeous she was, what an amazing wife she'd be.

"Misty?"

"Yes, Ash?"

"I don't see how I could ever love you more than I do right now."

Now he saw one single tear slide quickly down her cheek. It startled him. "Are you crying, baby?"

"Yes, Ash, I am. Because I love you too. I love you so much. I never want to let go of you." He grabbed her tenderly, pulled her towards him, embracing her in his strong arms.

"I will never let go of you, either, Misty."

Somewhere a lone noctowl hooted softly.

Now Ash was closer to sleep. He always felt the memory helped him, made him warm and soft and satisfied. Still he stroked the fire colored hair of the sleeping beauty next to him. Suddenly she stirred.

"Ash?" She lifted her head slightly, the hand she'd had under her head showing off the twinkling engagement ring.

"Yes, baby?"

"It's the middle if the night. Get some sleep. What are you doing awake anyway?"

"Watching you sleep. Remembering." He felt the ring gently. Slowly she reached her hand up to his face, pulling it back down into the pillow.

"Sleep, babe. I love you."

"I love you too."

**How do you like it so far? I think it's cute. I love writing Pokeshipping fluffy! **

**Leave a review if you like, and keep reading!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Perfect Dress

**FINALLY I get up another chapter. Or, like, eight...I have until chapter nine finished. And working on uploading! So, without further ado (what a funny phrase. Hmm.), enjoy!**

"ASH!"

The yell woke Ash up immediately, and he jolted up. "Huh? What? Mist...?"

"This is why you need to actually sleep at night! I've been trying to wake you up for the past half hour!" She stood over him on his side of the bed, glaring, hands on her hips. Her green eyes flamed with anger. Ash laid his head back on the  
pillow.

"Misty, baby..."

"Don't 'baby' me! You're lucky I didn't put Pikachu on you, but he's still asleep, too!" She huffed. "Like man, like Pokémon." Ash almost grinned, but it wouldn't have been a good idea. When Misty was mad, she was merciless. Even to him. That got through even his dense head.

"What time is it?"

"Late!" she shouted, pointing at the clock on the wall above the door. "You have fifteen minutes to get ready before we have to leave." Ash was momentarily perplexed. Leave? For what? Suddenly he remembered. Wedding preparations! Today was his tux fitting, her dress finding, trying out three different cake bakeries...cake! Instantly Ash was on his feet.

"I'm going! I'm going!" He rushed into the bathroom, leaving Misty with her face in her palm.

"That boy is too damn dense sometimes." she muttered. "Just so you know, Ash," she called after him, "the first bakery stop isn't until three! And no cake until then!"

This only slightly saddened Ash.

"Ash, sweetie, you look great!" Finally the couple had decided on Ash's tux, which really didn't matter to him, but it had to be perfect for Misty.

"Thanks, Mist. You know, I really can't wait to see you in your dress. You will be so gorgeous, no matter what dress you pick."

Misty blushed and smiled a little. "Oh, baby..." suddenly she noticed the clock across from them. "Oh no! My dress appointment starts in ten minutes! I'll be late!" Ash gave her a quick hug and shoved her towards the door.

"You go, Mist. I'll finish up here. And I'll see you afterwards." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as she rushed away.

"Thanks, Ash!"

"Just remember to pick out something that makes you happy, sweetheart." And she darted out the door.

As Misty hurried into the bridal shop, an excited Daisy ran up to hug her younger sister. Accompanying her was May, a friend of Ash's and Misty's, and Delia, Ash's mother.

"Misty!" Daisy squealed. "This is going to be so much fun!" Misty could do nothing but squeak in her sister's tight grasp and wave hello to the other two women.

Another woman walked into the room. She had dark skin and jet black hair that she wore up in a bun. Her features were soft and joyful.

"Hello, Misty, right?" Misty nodded, still held by her sister. "The Cerulean City gym leader finally settling down. Not that you'll be any more merciful to your poor challengers. My daughter lost to you twice before earning her badge. Now she has four." The woman smiled, clearly relishing some memory. "By the way, my name's Cynthia. I've got some dresses picked out for you, but there's more. Now come on, let's go!"

The women giggled in giddy anticipation as Cynthia lead them towards the rear of the store. She had Misty's accompaniment sit in three plush looking chairs in front of a small white pedestal and panels of huge, full-length mirrors that stretched all the way up to the tall ceiling. Then she directed Misty into a spacious dressing room. Four dresses, covered in opaque plastic, hung on a carved steel bar in an open closet.

"Start with whichever you like. We'll be waiting right out here. Call if you need help."

Misty slipped the first dress on and stepped out of the dressing room and onto the pedestal, gasping at the reflection in the mirrors. She wasn't the only one.

The gown was full-length, pale sea-green satin, with one shoulder strap twinkling gently with rhinestones. The bodice was form-fitting, but the ruffled skirt was full and light, and covered in the same rhinestones as the sleeve. Another band of them rested around her waist.

"Oh my god. Misty." May's shocked voice echoed in the silence. "That dress is so beautiful." Cynthia broke the trance the five were in.

"Now I want to see the others!" The three others agreed, and Misty ducked back into the dressing room for the next dress.

It was met with equal awe. Strapless with a sweetheart neckline, pure white silk that glowed like a pearl. The skirt seemed to wrap around itself to pouf out a little. It was a subtle dress, but hard to miss and very traditional.

Again Cynthia ushered her off after a minute.

The third dress was also white, but it was a shiny silver-white color. It had a sweetheart neck as well, but there were long sleeves on it made of a fine white lace. The bodice was smooth satin, as was the skirt, but the skirt was covered in a thin layer of the same lace. A bright white ribbon seperated the bodice and skirt, tied in a bow in the back.

This dress received nothing but looks of disbelief even from Cynthia.

The last dress was just as gorgeous. It was ecru in color, a pale peachy beige, very lacy around the sweetheart neck down Misty's chest. Two thin spaghetti straps held it on, as the lace faded into silk which, in turn, spiraled down the wide skirt into more lace. The back laced up in a corset style, hugging her body.

It was impossible for them to decide which dress was the most beautiful. They discussed it for what seemed like ages.

Suddenly Misty snapped her fingers and smiled wide. "I know which dress I should get. It's perfect."

**I am so evil, leaving you guys in suspense! You don't get to know which dress she picks until chapter six (; Took me forever to decide just WHICH dress to choose...I like them all!**

**It is so fun to write about dense-as-a-rock-Ash...**

**Hope you enjoyed! Leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3: Cake and Its Consqeuences

*****OMG Big, BIG THANK YOU to pkmn2112 for letting me know about the formatting screw-up! That wasn't supposed to happen! Thanks again, hopefully it's fixed!*****

**This one is really short, sorry! But I think it's funny. Let me just say I LOVE cake...enjoy! **

Misty arrived at the bakery, a short walk from the bridal store, with a grin on her face rivaling the sun in its brightness. Ash had already gone inside. No doubt he was stuffing his face with sweets before she could scold him; it was just Ash's nature. Food, food, food!

Instead she found him almost napping in a chair by the door. It was a few minutes past three, so Misty was about on time. He gave her a lopsided grin as she entered.

"How long have you been here?" she asked quietly.

"Not long. Maybe five minutes." He chuckled. "Did you find something pretty?" He wondered aloud.

"I sure did." Misty beamed.

"Well tell me about it."

"No, sweetie. You'll have to wait until next week." she replied slyly. It was going to kill him to wait, but the dress was being delivered to May's so he wouldn't try to sneak a peek.

"That long to see you in something so beautiful?" he whined. Misty ignored him and turned to the lady at the counter, who lead them into a small room. It was furnished with three plush pink crushed velvet chairs, two on one side of a vintage, bright cherry wood desk and one on the other. A laptop with a pink cupcake design perched cheerily on top of the desk. The bright young woman brought out all sorts of cake flavor samples with different icings and patterns. German chocolate (Ash's favorite), red velvet, plain vanilla, pumpkin, carrot cake, strawberry chocolate swirl (the bakery's specialty), cheesecake, deep chocolate, butter pecan, cherry chip (which turned out to be a favorite of Misty's), spice cake, confetti cake, even a triple-layer Neapolitan cake.

The couple were practically sick by the time their choices were made. And they were starting to feel the effects of a sugar high, so the bakery owner took their order and ushered them out.

Halfway down the walk to Cerulean Gym, Ash said something the two found so hilarious, they started laughing and giggling uncontrollably, until they had to sit down. They would manage to calm themselves, then look at each other and burst out laughing again, like madmen, for close to ten minutes. Finally they resumed sanity enough to make it to Misty's gym.

Of course, with a sugar high comes always a sugar crash. Once they reached the gym, the pair were so exhausted they crashed on a couch in the office, with Misty on top of Ash, his arms around her lovingly.

"I should have known I'd find the two of you here."

The voice roused Ash from a deep sleep, bringing him only halfway into the waking land and leaving him in a groggy state, too groggy to understand anything. All he knew for certain was that something lay on top of him, holding his weight down. For a second, it panicked him, and he opened his eyes wide. Finding only a head of fire-red hair and a pale hand on his chest, he realized it was Misty, and calmed back down.

"Ash? Misty? Hey, you two, wake up!"

"Pika pika! Pikapi chu!" It wasn't the first voice calling his name that prompted him to rise, but the second, his own Pokémon, begging him to. The human on top of him stirred. Placing a hand on each side of him, she lifted herself up off his chest, and he found himself blinking into her sleepy green eyes.

"It's about time. Do you guys know it's after ten?" They turned their heads towards the voice. It was Brock, the tall rock-type trainer who was eight years their senior and often their advisor. "Come on you two. Let's get you home."

He ushered the couple, with the help of Pikachu, into his car and drove them back to Ash's mother's house, where they were staying temporarily. Delia herself was still out, so it was up to Brock to make sure the two actually got into bed. He only managed to get Ash and Misty upstairs before they flopped drowsily into the bed, falling back asleep instantly.

"Were they ever even really awake, I wonder?" he pondered, watching Pikachu snuggle up into the space between his master's arm and chest and murmur happily to himself. Chuckling, Brock watched them for a few more moments, his two engaged best friends, thinking about how he'd known it would happen since that first look passed between them, over ten years ago. A decade. It seemed so long and yet had passed so swiftly. Quietly he turned and left, closing the door gently behind him.

***** Did that get you hungry for CAKE? It did me...just writing it...gosh. I love cake. I wish I could go eat some, but we don't have any...sigh. Anyway, leave a review if you like! *****


	4. Chapter 4: Cold Feet

**So this chapter introduces a really big point in the story. If I say anything more I'll spoil it...so enjoy!**

Misty sat at the edge of the Cerulean gym outdoor pool, making circles with her foot in the water. It was a warm, humid late evening in June, and she welcomed the chilly feeling of the cool liquid. She could hear few noises, but she was buried deep in thought anyway.

It was two days before her wedding day. She was marrying Ash Ketchum, her love, the man she'd known since they were ten years old. The boy who had wanted to badly to be a Pokemon master, who had stopped at nothing until he reached his goal. Recently he had put it all aside for her, and she loved that. They spent few moments apart anymore.

Gradually she thought beyond their wedding. Their honeymoon. Their return home, where they would be greeted with a new house as a wedding present from Brock. What would happen afterwards? Would life simply return to normal? They had been planning their wedding day for months. It had become a part of their normal life. What would they do to fill the empty space it left? Misty knew. She knew what she wanted. She didn't know if Ash would agree. He'd want to focus on her and his Pokemon. What if he disagreed with her? They'd talked about it before. How great it would be, someday. But empty days were ahead of them. Misty wanted them filled. And she knew what she wanted to fill them with.

She never even heard the footsteps behind her as her fiancé walked up and sat beside her. He startled her, but she didn't jump. She just kept making circles with her foot in the cool water. Her foot was growing cold.

"Hey, baby." he greeted her softly. "What's on your mind? You've been out here for a long time." Misty sighed deeply.

"I... don't really know how to... talk about this, how to... bring this up, so..." Ash rested a hand on her shoulder. He knew Misty had a hard time voicing her emotions. He started to rub her back gently. She seemed to relax.

"I want to have children, Ash."

He stopped mid-rub. Almost mid-breath. Slowly he started again. Misty tucked both legs up under her chin, resting her head on her knees. Ash scooted in closer to her.

"I know you do, Misty." He said carefully. "And we will. Someday. Don't worry."

"You don't understand." she muttered. He prayed she wouldn't say it, wouldn't tell him, but she did. "I want them now." Tenderly he slipped his arms around her. It was a long time before he spoke.

"We're young, Misty. We have a lot of life left that doesn't need to include children."

Suddenly she broke free of his loving grasp, her eyes brimming with tears. "Are you saying you don't want children with me, Ash? You're never even going to give me a chance to give you a baby?" With this, the tears spilled over. She had been expecting resistance, and she felt hurt by his slow response.

"No, no, no, sweetheart, honey, that doesn't...that isn't what I meant at all!" He leaned in closer to his fiancée. "I want you to be the mother of my children, Misty. I want that as much as I want to see you walk down the aisle towards me in that pretty dress you picked out. But we don't have to rush it. We can wait a couple years. Can we wait just one year? One year, just one, and then. Then we'll try for a baby. I promise you, Misty. We'll have a baby. Just wait one year for me."

Misty, who had stopped crying during his small speech, now crouched before him, fiery-lock hidden eyes on the poolside tile, with a shaky lower lip and damp cheeks. She thought. It seemed like an eternity before she looked up at Ash.

"All right, Ash. I'll wait a year. Just one, remember, you promised me." She sat up, straight, and he offered his arms to her. She took them readily. He grasped her tightly, breathing in her scent and absorbing her warmth.

Out of nowhere they were hit with a giant wave of water. Misty screamed, Ash shouted, and they looked across the pool. A Vaporeon stood there, paw in the water, eyes squinting smugly. She had thought it would be fun to soak her master and her fiancé.

"Vaporeon, return!" Misty called, holding out a Pokeball. The water Pokemon was surrounded by a bright red light and was gone. Misty read fixed the Pokeball to her belt.

"Oh, yes, Misty," Ash chuckled, wiping her red hair out of her eyes, "I'll always remember that promise."

Their room was silent, except for the slow breathing of a sleeping Pokemon on a chair in the corner. Neither Ash nor Misty could sleep, and understandably so. The next day was their wedding day. The thought was enough to make Misty break out into a cold sweat, and her feet were freezing. Not that she regretted her promise; it was a day she'd been looking forward to for years. The thoughts that raced through her mind were almost all ecstatically positive. But the thoughts dashed and sped back and forth, mixing with doubts. Doubts that it would all go well. Doubts that there wouldn't be some disaster to ruin it all. Doubts that she wouldn't simply become overwhelmed; that she wouldn't go sit in a corner and cry. These thoughts jumped and scrambled around in Misty's mind until she wanted to scream.

Instead she grabbed Ash, pulled herself closer to the man she loved. He held her, wrapped her in his arms. She started to sob. The doubts were too strong. He sat up and pulled her into his lap, one arm holding her body close, the other caressing her long fire-colored hair. She grasped his shirt tightly, burying her face in his chest and sobbing, crying, the effort shaking her petite body.

Ash just held her. He didn't ask, didn't mutter a word, didn't even make a sound. He just held her, rocking her gently back and forth. He had a good idea what was going on.

For the past few days, Misty had seemed extremely stressed. She had been moody, reserved, even crying sometimes. She cried more often than he knew she ever had in her life. He was worried about her. He'd even asked his mother what he could do.

"Not a lot, Ash. She's going to be this way for a while. I was, when I married your father. Your lives are about to change in a big way. She's nervous. Don't question. Just support her."

So that was what he tried to do. Just support her. Show her his love would be there no matter what.

But there was more to it that Delia didn't know about. 'The Baby Thing', as Ash called it in his mind, had been a thought in Misty's head since the night before. Several times during the day Misty had yelled at him about it, tried to get him to change his mind. But Ash, though he warmed up to the idea more and more as he thought about it, held his ground. Wait a year. He would not forget his promise.

Suddenly Ash, running through this in his mind, realized Misty had stopped crying. He caressed her damp cheek. Her eyes were closed. She was asleep. Cried herself to sleep. He laid her gently back down on the bed, but she stirred.

"Ash?" she sat up again. "I'm so sorry. Crying like that...and on the night before our wedding!" Another tear slipped down her cheek.

"Misty, baby, don't cry. Don't worry. You've been stressed. I understand. Please don't cry. I love you."

"I'm just so worried...that something will go wrong."

"Nothing will go wrong. It'll be just as we planned. And this time tomorrow, we'll be headed to the islands on our honeymoon." He wrapped his arms around her again. This time he took her hand in his, playing with the ring on her finger. "And you know, don't you, Misty, that I'll always love you? No matter what? That's what this ring means. Our promise to love each other forever."

Misty pulled back and smiled sweetly at her fiancé. "I know, Ash. You've told me nothing but these past few days. I know." She slipped back down into the bed and closed her eyes. "I love you too, Ash Ketchum. Forever."

Ash lay back down as well, reaching an arm across her and pulling her close until his chest hugged her back. Misty lay a hand on top of his.

"Goodnight, baby."

**I hate making Misty so emotional D= It's not in her character. But she's also hot-headed so...I figured she'd be the one to jump to conclusions. **

**By the way, nobody reads any of the chapter titles, right? Good, because mine are pretty lame.**

**Now that I say that, you're going to read every single chapter title...sigh.**

**Oh well.**


	5. Chapter 5: Wedding Morning

**This one is longer... which makes me happy. I like longer chapters, but they always seem to turn out so short! They take me about an hour to write each.**

**Finally, it's Wedding Day! But we don't quite get there...this is mostly what goes on beforehand. I know you want to read, so...enjoy!**

Ash Ketchum sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The first few rays of sunlight filtered in from the window, casting a soft, warm glow over the room. For a minute he just observed the guest room of his mother's house. The bed he sat in rested in the center of the room, punctuated by two small nightstands, one on either side. All of the furniture was a deep mahogany wood, except for a plush chair on one wall, with Ash's loyal Pikachu sleeping soundly on it. A tall wardrobe commanded one corner of the room, a table another. The table was topped with flowers, and pictures of the black-haired man in his boyhood. He grinned at them. There were precious memories in those frames. Him as a baby. After he'd lost his first tooth. Fifth birthday. Playing with his childhood rival, Gary, pretending to battle with pokédolls and pokéballs that they knew full well were empty. And his tenth birthday, the day he'd gotten his ornery Pikachu and started his Pokemon adventure. The last one was one of him and Misty when they were about fifteen.

But there was one empty frame towards the rear of the set. It was made of silver. He squinted to make out the words written hastily on a sticky note fixed to the glass.

"Ash and Misty's wedding photo."

He could barely read the scrawl of his mother's handwriting. But it made him grin. Then it struck him.

Today, that frame would be filled. Today was his and Misty's wedding day.

He hadn't realized this in his sleepy waking. The sun seemed to be brighter now. Had he truly woken at dawn? He'd never woken up this early.

He heard a soft moan and turned his head to see Misty just opening her eyes. He'd actually woken up before his early-to-rise fiancée for once.

"Ash?" she asked in drowsy disbelief. "Are you actually awake?"

"I could hardly believe it myself." She pulled herself up to sit up next to him, and he gave her a kiss on the cheek. Her emerald-green eyes were still filled with sleep, her fire-red hair tousled. He hugged her, dragging his fingers through her hair to try to untangle it. "Yes, you're my girl, Mist," he muttered groggily. "You're my Misty. Misty Waterflower. You know, that's the last time I can call you that. Miss Misty Waterflower. I can't believe it. Today's the day. Today's the day I marry my girl." Misty just listened to him ramble. Ash always talked nonsense when he woke up early. And she just liked to hear his voice say her name. It comforted her. And her stomach was filled with butterfree, fluttering around like crazy.

"What time is it?" she asked, not wanting to but not wanting to be late.

"Just after seven." Ash replied. Misty groaned and got out of bed. She secured her hair back and yawned simultaneously, causing Ash to chuckle. She glared at him.

"Okay, Ketchum, get in the shower. I'm going to eat."

"You can't call me that anymore!" Ash whined. "Because you're gonna be a Ketchum too today!"

"I still have a few more hours to call you that, Ash Ketchum! Now up! Maybe once you shower you'll stop blabbering your nonsense." And she marched downstairs.

Downstairs, she found Ash's mother sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee. "Oh, hi, Mrs. Ketchum."

"Misty, I've asked you to call me Delia." she giggled. "How are you this morning?" Misty sat down in a chair next to Delia with a bowl of cereal.

"Oh, I'm all right I guess. Nervous."

"I know how you feel. But don't worry. It'll be fine." They talked for a while about the plans for the day - the place (in the field behind the Cerulean gym), the time (about two), where Misty's dress was (May's house) and many small details. Eventually Ash, fully dressed, clambered down the stairs.

"Hi Ash!" Delia greeted her son.

"Oh no. The two of you talking? This spells trouble for me."

"We were only talking about the wedding!" Misty defended. You do realize I'll be a Ketchum in just hours? The whole 'yes, I'll marry you' thing?" She laughed and went upstairs to get ready.

When the three of them finally reached the Cerulean gym, it was after nine. Misty was attacked by May and Daisy, while Ash was greeted by Brock. The couple exchanged a swift kiss before parting ways to begin preparations.

For Ash, getting ready meant simply putting on the tux. For most of the time, he helped set up decorations around the large meadow. Two of Misty's sisters, Violet and Lily, had been appointed by Daisy to assist. Mostly Ash lugged around boxes. He made sure things were exactly as Misty would want them. She wouldn't even see the scene until she walked down the aisle marked by a lengthy silver rug, so it was basically up to him to figure out how she would want things. He knew more about wedding decorations by noon than he ever would have wanted to.

For Misty, however, being prepared meant something entirely different. It meant being shut up in the gym office with Daisy, May, and their friend Amilla, being pushed, pulled, poked and prodded. Hair, makeup, nails, shoes, all had to be done separately. First they painted her nails a transparent green with a white French tip. All twenty. Face makeup - Daisy swore it was just "bare minimum", but Misty could have argued otherwise - was pasted on, pale pink blush, black eyeliner, green eyeshadow, mascara, and lipstick enhanced her naturally beautiful features and large emerald eyes.

"I look like a clown!" she cried out to the mirror when Daisy showed her.

"You do not!" Daisy huffed. The other girls agreed with Daisy, even Amilla, who hadn't worn makeup a day in her life.

Taming Misty's fiery hair was challenging. Tugging it silky and tangle free and wrestling the normally strait-as-a-board locks into what they wanted took nearly two hours. They eventually ended up with what they had set out to make it into - a curly ponytail, with gently twirled tendrils let loose that framed her face. They held it by spraying it with a strong-hold hairspray that added a glittery sheen to her hair. It looked like fire, jumping and crackling in sparks around her head, setting her face ablaze.

By the time the four managed to get Misty into the gown and shoes without damaging anything, it was one-thirty. The three women stood back to admire their handiwork. There were wide eyes, gasps of shock, shouts, giggles, high-fives. Even Misty nearly screamed in shock, when she glanced into the full-length mirror in the office bathroom.

"Is that me?" she yelled. "Oh my god, you guys are amazing!"

"Told you you don't look like a clown!"

"Now I don't. Now it makes sense!"

As two o'clock crept closer, Daisy laid out what Misty was to do. She would wait with Brock behind the gym's back doors, where she was to exit when the music started playing. She knew what happened from there, right? Right.

Daisy went to scrub makeup off her hands and change, but May and Amilla, already in their bridesmaids' dresses, escorted her to the gym's back entrance after making sure Ash was outside.

"He was ready a long time ago," Brock confirmed. When he saw Misty, his jaw dropped. He could barely believe one of his closest friends, whom he'd thought of as a sister since she was ten, could be so beautiful. She blushed at his reaction. "Holy... Misty, you look...amazing!"

"Wow, Misty, if Brock reacts like that, I can't wait to see what Ash does! He's going to do backflips!"

"Maybe not, Amilla." Misty giggled at the sixteen-year-old as the two bridesmaids left to join the congregation. Brock peeked out at the crowd from behind a window shade.

"Misty, look at all these people." Misty gasped at the multitude of people - all friends. She could see Delia, May, Amilla, and her sisters in the sea green bridesmaids' dresses, cooing over May's two-year-old son, Derek. She could see Drew, Gary, Tracey, and a few other people standing in front of Ash. There was Professor Oak, Dawn, Iris, a horde of her sisters' friends whom she knew, Ash's good friends from various regions. Pikachu even sat on Ash's shoulder. A crowd of people. A huge crowd of people.

Suddenly, by some invisible signal, everyone took seats. Ash stood at the front, a long ways down the silver rug from the gym door. Pikachu and Misty's beloved Vaporeon stood with the respective groomsmen and bridesmaids.

Professor Oak shook hands with Ash and gave a speech Misty and Brock couldn't hear. He was the one conducting the ceremony.

The music started. It was an old tune, a favorite of Misty's. Brock let the curtain swing back as everyone looked at the gym door. Misty felt nervous tears brim in her eyes and fought them back as Brock took her arm. He handed her a bouquet - red roses mixed with tiny white flowers - and led her toward the door

Slowly he turned the knob, swung it open. And slowly Misty stepped out.

**Yes, I know where I ended it. And that's where I wanted it to end. {8-bit sunglasses} Deal with it.**

**Leave a review if you liked it! I love to read them!**


	6. Chapter 6: I Caught You

**HERE WE ARE! Finally! The chapter you've been waiting for, I'm sure. This chapter was almost tragic – I had it almost done, saved even, but somehow my email (I write these from my email on my phone so I have them anywhere) crashed and I lost ALL of it. I was so upset...I'll stop rambling now**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

Ash could not believe the sight before his eyes. He'd seen Misty beautiful, but he was not prepared for this. She glowed like a pearl in afternoon sun. She glittered like a freshly cut diamond. Her hair sparkled like a thousand rubies, and her eyes twinkled bright as emeralds. Even her soft, rosy skin gave off light.

And the dress. Ash had been pleading (in vain) to see it, and he was not disappointed. It was a glistening white, a shade that meant purity, hope, and promises. It was strapless with a neckline that dipped in the middle. A row of crystals lined the top. The dress hugged her body down to the hips, where the skirt's silky material billowed gently out like a cloud. It seemed to twirl and twist its way down to the bottom, painting the effect of a mist dancing by the ground. A simple pair of strappy white sandals topped it off humbly at her feet.

The crowd was mesmerized. Misty's cheeks flushed red at their stares. She bit back a giggle as she was Ash's open mouthed gawking. Slowly, relishing the moments of her friends' adoration, she walked, step by step, up the silver carpet to where Ash stood. He took her hands in his and gave her a sweet kiss on the forehead.

And there they stood, gazing at each other, holding hands. Misty mentally fawned over Ash's rugged handsomeness, and Ash the same for her played up natural beauty. It was just the two of them in their own little world, and they barely heard a word said.

They whispered their way through the vows, only breaking their gaze apart when May's son, Derek, approached, carrying the rings on a small silver pillow.

Misty gasped anew at her ring. Ash's was a simple silver band, but hers was far more intricate. A pattern of sapphires and emeralds was inlaid in the silver, but a few rubies, a few white diamonds, and a single tiny onyx shard decorated the front in a simple, cute design. Misty giggled as Ash slid it on her finger, whispering, "I caught you."

The design was a Pokeball.

Their new bond was announced, husband and wife, Mr and Mrs Ketchum. Ash looked lovingly at his bride for a moment, then gently lifted her face towards his and kissed her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. A new feeling blossomed up from deep within their hearts, a new love, a love for each other that was stronger than it had ever been before.

They pulled apart and Misty started to laugh. She looked down at the rose bouquet still in her grip, lifted it, and threw it across the crowd. It fell into the hands of a shrieking Amilla, who jumped on her boyfriend. Trevor shot Misty a horrified 'what have you done' look and she laughed again.

A cheer rose from the crowd as people shouted congratulations, and the couple were ambushed by friends, being hugged and kissed and patted on the back. The two were pulled inside, into the reception room.

The reception room was actually the welcoming area of the gym, completely redone with decorations in deep reds, greens, and silvers. The cake sat grandly on a table on one wall, and speakers hunched in each corner.

A song started playing through the speakers. Ash, recognizing it as his and Misty's song, grabbed her hand and squeezed. He gave her a smile, which was returned, and pulled her out onto the dance floor. She laid her hands around his neck, and he rested his on her waist. They swayed back and forth to the music as Misty sang along softly.

_"My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,  
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,  
You never need to carry more than you can hold,  
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,  
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,  
Yeah, this, is my wish."_

The song ended, and they walked off the rapidly crowding floor. A few more songs played, and people danced. Then their attention was called towards the cake standing proudly before Misty and Ash on a silver table.

It was three layers high, concentric circles of cherry chip cake reaching towards the ceiling. It was covered in a creamy white fondant, decorated with an interwoven ivy pattern. Here and there a bright red rose punctuated the running vines, and the jumbo-cupcake-size top layer was hatted with a few large roses, causing Ash to stare, wide eyed, at all the sugary icing.

"We split the top." Misty whispered to her drooling husband.

Pictures were taken, cake was cut and served, people found places to sit. Tables had been set up while the cake was being cut, and the bride and groom sat in the middle, right next to each other, flanked by Daisy and Brock. May, Delia, Amilla, and Trevor sat across, and the others spread out around them.

Misty thought the cake was amazing. It was a light, fluffy, luscious cherry chip. The fondant was sweet, the icing not too much. She stole glances at the twinkling Pokeball of jewels on her finger often.

Small conversations circulated around the tables, but it was all quiet. Delia tore away from a conversation about Derek with May and focused her attention on her son and daughter-in-law.

"Ash, Misty," she asked with a tone of seriousness, "when are you two planning on having children?"

The room was dead silent. Misty flinched and exchanged a glance with Ash, who grabbed her hand under the table and squeezed it.

"We're...going to wait a while." was his shaky response. An awkward moment passed and then, that was that. The room was joyful again. Misty wondered if she had imagined the silence.

Eventually the cake was finished, dances were all danced, congratulations were all given, pictures were all taken. It had been a wonderful day. The couple's hearts and smiles glowed. They said final goodbyes as they drove away in the car to catch the boat to the islands.

****"My Wish" lyrics copyright Rascal Flatts,** I Don't own them!**

**I know it ends abruptly, but I needed to move on and nothing interesting happened after that anyway.**

**Leave a review if you like!**


	7. Chapter 7: Honeymoon Tickles

**Sooo a chapter of Ash x Misty fluff ;) And yes, the Baby Thing does come back, but only for a moment!**

**It does get fairly suggestive towards the end, but don't worry, there's nothing graphic, I don't do that.**

**Enjoy :)**

Misty closed her eyes and swayed with the hammock, the edges of her thin white sundress flitting around in the breeze. She sighed gently and leaned into the hammock's other occupant; her husband, Ash, who had his arm around her tightly.

The two had been married only about twenty-four hours, and were very much in the early stages of new-marriage love. And they liked it that way, being thoroughly enamored with each other, not spending a moment apart.

Ash turned her towards him, nearly tipping the hammock, and kissed her forehead gently. She sighed and opened her eyes, observing the sparkling ring on her finger. Her life was perfect right now.

"I love you, Misty."

"I know, Ash. You've said it nonstop."

"Because it's true," he whined gently. "I do love you."

"Yes, I know, babe. I love you, too."

Life was very perfect. Except for one thing.

"Do we have to wait a year?"

It took Ash a minute to figure out what Misty was talking about. The Baby Thing. He sighed quietly.

"That's what we agreed on, sweetie. We have time. Plenty of time. We'll have a baby. Don't worry." He kissed her forehead again. "We'll have lots of babies, if that's what you want. Because I'll do anything for you, Misty. You know I will. But we agreed to wait. Okay? Okay," he ended without waiting for a reply.

"But, Ash-"

He kissed her on the lips for a long time. "Be quiet, sweetie. Let's not talk right now. Watch the sunset." She smiled and looked out at the setting sun. It cast bright shades of yellow, red, orange, and pink all over the sky, water, and clouds. Ash held her close, whispering delicate sweet nothings in her ear.

Nobody else would have known the Pokemon master had such a romantic side, as dense and clueless as he was most of the time. But when it was just the two of them...

Misty closed her eyes, a wide smile spreading across her face. Ash stroked her hair lovingly. It had retained some of its curl from the day before, but by morning would be straight as a board again.

"You know, your hair matches the sunset." Ash whispered. "Bright orange... You're my little fire, Misty, the light of my life..." He slipped his hand down her arm.

She suddenly burst out into a fit of laughter. "Oh, stop it!" she giggled. "Stop!" Ash was tickling her side. It was her most sensitive spot, and he knew it. "I can't breathe!" He moved his hands around her belly, her neck, both of them laughing as she tried to squirm away or land a kick, both of which were unsuccessful. "Ash Ketchum, I will get you for this!"

"Oh, pulling out the last names, are we?" He chuckled, tickling both of her sides. "You will never win, Misty Ketchum!"

The sound of her new last name spoken by her new husband for the first time would have stopped Misty in her tracks - had he not been tickling her so much! Instead she tried to wriggle away from his fingers, causing the hammock to flip and landing them both in the sand.

Sitting up, they stared at each other for a moment. Then she lunged at him, tickling him under the arms, his own sensitive spot. Soon she had him pinned to the ground under her, arms splayed, looking straight into her face. She gave him a slow, tantalizing kiss on the lips, and, leaning close to his ear, whispered -

"I won, Ash Ketchum."

He grinned wickedly. Springing up from under her, he grabbed her and picked her up, carrying her bridal style.

"I caught you. So I'm still thinking I won."

She smiled and nestled into his chest. He kissed her temple and carried her into the small cottage-like island beach house that was theirs for their honeymoon weekend. He laid her down on the bed and lay beside her, stroking her face.

"Ash..." Misty whispered, grabbing his face in her hands, kissing him lightly. "You know you want to." She purred seductively, running a finger down his black t-shirt.

"Mhmm." he muttered back, "I most certainly want to." She sat up, brushing her long hair aside, and he untied the halter top of her sundress. Then he laid her back down, moving his hands around her body, kissing her, lightly at first and then deepening it, farther and farther.

**Squee cuteness! Not much to say for this chapter, but leave a review if you like it!**


	8. Chapter 8: Homecoming

**And here, in this chapter, we give you two new things: Brock's wedding present for the two AND a home for them…how are they connected? See if you can guess…wait…did I give it away a few chapters ago? Maybe…ah well, too lazy to go back and see.**

**SO enjoy it ;)**

"Okay, Brock, can we look yet?" Ash whined impatiently.

"No! Not yet!" To Delia he whispered, "Put it on the door!"

"Come on, Brock! This is taking too long." Misty complained, her face buried in her husband's shirt so she wouldn't peek.

"Yeah, well, Dawn bailed last minute, so this is taking longer than planned!" Brock mumbled. He had expected to surprise his friends the second they arrived back in Cerulean. So far, things weren't going as planned.

"Brock, it's done!" May cried from a short distance away.

"Finally! Okay, Mr and Mrs Ketchum, open your eyes!" The couple did as told, and gasped simultaneously.

The house, or rather, mansion, in front of them was gorgeous. It was two stories high with an attic. The outside was cheerful blue siding, and they could see plenty of windows. It sat in the middle of a large yard, and a field was evident for a backyard, great for Pokemon training (running through Ash's mind) or playing children (Misty's mind).

"Well, don't just stand there! It's your home. You can live in it today. Walk in!"

They approached the bright white door, across which a sign had been slung - 'Welcome Home Ash and Misty'. It was heartwarming to the two. Especially to Ash, as his Pikachu greeted him as he opened the door, jumping into his trainer's arms.

Inside was just as gorgeous as the outside. The bottom floor held a large kitchen (much to Misty's delight), a spacious living room, sizable dining room and small office space, as well as a half bathroom. It was decorated sparsely, with necessities. The couple would decorate on their own.

They raced upstairs, giggling. There were four bedrooms and three bathrooms, plus a master suite and bath. The four other bedrooms, all very roomy, were colored in green, pink, yellow, and blue in pale shades. All were bare.

"Now, wait." Brock insisted as Misty turned the doorknob to the master bedroom. "The master is a gift from May and Amilla," he pointed at the two beaming women behind him, "and it's completely decorated."

Ash and Misty gasped anew at their bedroom. The walls were painted dark red. The carpet was creamy white, as was the trim. A large canopy bed took center stage, with deep red covers. There were two mahogany nightstands, one on each side, as well as a mahogany vanity with a large oval mirror across from the bed. Misty loved the walk-in closets.

When the entire tour was finished, they all flopped down on a brand-new, dark brown couch courtesy of Dawn.

"This is amazing, you guys!" Misty shrieked. "I can't believe you did this for us. This is too much!"

"Did we mention," Brock said slyly, "that it's only a block from the Cerulean gym?" Misty squealed and ran to the window.

"I can see it! Ash, it's right there!" Ash laughed and pulled his wife back down to the couch.

"Really, guys. Thank you all so much." the Pokemon master grinned at the small crowd - Brock, Delia, May, Amilla, and Daisy. They returned "don't mention it"s and "it was nothing"s. Even Pikachu squealed in agreement.

After a while, Ash, Pikachu, and Brock left to train, leaving the girls to their gossip. The four women filled Misty in on what was going on.

"Did you know, Misty, that Gary and his wife, Haley, are having a baby?" Daisy chirped.

"No!" Misty cried.

"Haley says she's already three months along. It reminded me that I hadn't seen her in months!" Daisy thought Misty looked strangely down after that, and didn't talk as much. She wrote it off to exhaustion. It was seven in the evening and getting dark already.

"Are Ash and Brock still outside?" Misty's sudden voice startled the four. She had been silent for a few minutes.

"Yeah. It's about time for us to go, I think. You look tired." Amilla noticed.

"I'm going upstairs. Can you send Ash up?" Amilla agreed to it and Misty said goodbye to them all.

Once upstairs, Misty found her pale blue tank top and a pair of dark green sweatpants in the closet. She changed and slipped into the new bed. Within minutes Ash was in bed with her.

"Hey, baby." He whispered. "This is so crazy, huh?" Misty nodded simply and Ash knew something was wrong. "What's up, sweetie?" Her emerald eyes showed distress.

Misty nearly cried at his concern. "Gary and Haley are expecting."

"Expecting what? A charizard?" Misty bit back a laugh. Her husband was so dense at times.

"No, Ash, a baby. They're pregnant."

Ash bit his lip. The Baby Thing again.

"Misty, I love you, but just because my childhood rival's having a kid doesn't mean I'm about to break our promise."

Misty sighed. Why did that not have to work this time out of all times?

Ash took her in his arms and held her close. They fell asleep quickly and slept so soundly that they didn't notice a certain electric type Pokemon slipping into bed with them.

**Why does that darned Baby Thing keep coming up? Because it's practically the main point to the story! Heehee ;) All will be revealed the next couple of chapters…but you can probably guess what's going to happen. I'm not that good at hiding things…**

**And another thing – I've said it before, I'll say it again: Dense Ash is SO fun to write!**

**Leave a review if you liked!**


	9. Chapter 9: News

**This chapter took about two days to write…and a dozen different fan fictions to read for inspiration to pull this off. It ended up being a mix of about three different ones… What am I talking about? If you haven't guessed it yet, you'll see!**

**By the way, it's been about six weeks since chapter 8's end…**

**And ages are slightly important here. Misty: 21, May: 22, Amilla: 19**

**Enjoy!**

The Saturday had dawned bright and sunny, making Misty smile. The redhead had woken up in a good mood on her day off from gym leader duties despite the slight stomach bug that had been making her sporadically nauseous for days, and Ash, her husband of six weeks, would be out training the entire day. She had called up her friends, May and Amilla, to see if they wanted to hang out. The three had decided to meet up for shopping and lunch in downtown Cerulean.

Now the group was back to shopping, taking on one store after another, finding one thing here and there, a dress, a shirt, some shoes. They chatted incessantly as they walked.

"So how's Derek, May?" Misty asked. The brunette trainer's two-year-old son had stayed with his father that day.

"Oh, he's doing okay." She sighed. "Actually, I was happy to leave him with Drew for the day. He's been so defiant lately! He drew all over his bedroom wall last week - in permanent marker! We had to repaint the wall." She noticed Misty shiver, barely visibly, and wondered briefly if she was becoming faintly sick like she had been all that morning. "Our pediatrician, and my mom, says it's normal. But it's annoying!" May realized suddenly that Misty had been very interested in her son lately. She wondered why for a second before noticing something shiny on Amilla's finger.

"Amilla! Is that a ring?" she gasped. The younger trainer burst into a fit of giggles as she held up her hand for her friends to admire.

"Yes! Trevor proposed on Tuesday!" Misty and May both squealed and hugged the nineteen-year-old, who complained about her lack of ability to breathe. They let go and Misty grabbed her friend by the shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"I cannot believe you didn't tell us! It's Saturday! We'll have to plan this whole thing!" Suddenly the redhead felt very nauseous. She covered her mouth, wincing, and took a few steps back.

"Misty?" May asked. "Are you okay?" Feeling slightly better, Misty nodded.

"Yeah. I'm okay now. It's just... your perfume is very strong today, Amilla." The younger woman looked shocked.

"I'm sorry, Misty! It's new, I must not have realized how much I put on..." May sniffed around the girl.

"It really isn't that strong..." she muttered. "It smells like cherry."

"It is! It's that new perfume, Cheery Cherry Fantasies! Kind of a dumb name, but it smells really good." She looked over at Misty. "Except to you, obviously."

"It's funny, I didn't even notice it until just now." Misty smiled. "But I'm fine now. Come on, let's keep going!" The other two women agreed and they continued to walk.

One of their first stops was a new shop that sold all sorts of soaps, sprays, perfumes, and candles. Misty bought a few vanilla candles - always a favorite scent of hers - and a lavender perfume. They had just left the store when Amilla took out a candle she had bought.

"Apparently, I'm on a cherry kick!" She laughed. "Smell this one, May, it's a really sweet cherry." May sniffed it and smiled.

"It smells just like your perfume, Ami!" Misty said she wanted to smell it, too. She did and was nauseous again. This time the scent was almost enough to make her vomit.

"Misty, let's get you home. I think... The heat might be getting to you." May suggested comfortingly. Misty agreed and the three walked to Misty's and Ash's home a block from the Cerulean gym, where they slumped, exhausted, on the couch.

Misty wanted to ignore the subject of her illness, but May was worried about the gym leader and questioned her.

"When did it start?"

"A few days ago. We had just come back from Ash's mother's house. We'd lunched in town, and she made us a fantastic dessert." Amilla perked up.

"Ooh, what was it? I love Delia's cooking!" Misty smiled at the tan-haired trainer.

"It was the most delicious homemade cherry pie-" she stopped mid-sentence and looked wide-eyed at May. "Why am I getting sick around all these cherries? I'm not allergic to them, I don't think. I never have been!" May was extremely worried.

"Um, Misty, maybe we should take you to the doctor." When the redhead started to freak out, she continued, "just to. Ale sure you're okay! I don't want you getting really sick!" The three of them piled into May's small car.

The drive to the doctor's office was a short one, but the wait time was long. Misty, who had never liked doctors or hospitals or the smell of antiseptic, began to shiver and whine in the waiting room. Finally her name was called. The doctor was friendly, but her examination too long. Misty was already on the verge on a nervous breakdown when the diagnosis was given.

And that diagnosis shocked her to the core and filled her with so many jumbled emotions she couldn't name even one.

The drive home was silent. May drove stiffly, Amilla beside her. Misty was curled up on the backseat, texting Ash. May and Ami took me to the doctor today... I need you to come home, Ash... We need to talk...

I'll be there as soon as I can. Are you all right baby?

I'm okay. Just come home soon Ash.

I'm headed home now. I love you Misty.

Misty curled up even tighter now, clutching the phone to her heart. She felt a tear slip down her cheek as they pulled up to the house. Numbly she walked inside, tucked up on the couch, May and Amilla close to her.

She didn't look up, barely thought a word, barely breathed, until Ash rushed into the living room. She stood up and ran to him, trying not to cry. He took his wife in his arms and held her close, and her tears began to flow.

The other two women slipped quietly into the kitchen.

The couple stood, grasping one another, for a long time, until Misty's sobs ceased. Ash stepped back, wiped a tear from her cheek, and ran his fingers through her bangs.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?"

The questions nearly brought on more tears. But Misty managed to keep calm, and slowly told him.

"Ash... I'm pregnant."

**OH MY GOSH. It was {sarcasm} TOTALLY NOT PREDICTABLE AT ALL!**

**I love cherries.**

**Just saying.**

**And now you will have to wait for Ash's reaction, because I haven't written chapter ten yet.**

**Leave a review! I want to know if it was totally predictable!**

**Wait…I know it was.**

**Was anyone surprised, with the Baby Thing?**

**Chapter 10's going to be full of drama, likely.**

**And now I'm making you wait in suspense.**


	10. Chapter 10: Reaction

**Soooo this story gets about a chapter added to it a day… if you get really impatient, it's also over at TextNovel (), search "Fate Has Its Own Path" and my pen name is the same (Brianna Summers). I can update Textnovel from my phone, and not , so it gets updated daily. But I only put the author's notes up here, so if you like them, they're not on TextNovel.**

**ANYWAY. Now we finally get to see Ash's reaction! I didn't realize I'd left off there, I feel so bad now X3 But anyway ENJOY!**

Ash just stood there, dumbly, eyes wide. Time seemed to stop for a moment. He couldn't think, couldn't react, he could barely breathe as he tried to let the news soak in.

_I'm gonna be a father._

He was shocked back to time when he realized that the woman in his arms was crying. He brought her even closer, drawing her in, caressing her fiery hair but still staring blankly ahead. It took him a few minutes to recover as Misty wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face deep into his chest, sobbing, soaking his shirt. It startled Ash. She had never done this before. She always hid her feelings... But she was always more open around him anymore... He just held her tight and repeated the phrase in his head over and over.

_I'm gonna be a father._

Slowly Misty stopped crying, and pulled back to look at him. Her deep emerald eyes were full of fear and anxiety. It touched his heart like she never had before, and it was a raw, painful feeling. He hadn't seen her so scared before, and he didn't like it at all.

Gently he kissed her forehead.

"Why are you so upset, sweetie?" She looked surprised at his soft tone.

"You...aren't mad at me?" A flash of hurt crossed Ash's eyes.

"Why would I be mad at you?" She turned slightly so she didn't quite face him, and leaned against his strong figure. She didn't answer. "Baby, answer me, please. Why would I ever be mad at you for being p...pregnant?"

"Because," she replied, her voice small and scratchy, "I broke our promise."

"Misty," he whispered, stroking her hair again, "It wasn't your fault. It's not like you did it on purpose. Besides, it took two of us...Baby, you didn't break our promise. I'm not mad at you. I love you, Mist." Misty started to cry again, and he rocked her in his arms. They stayed like that for a while, as the tears continued to flow.

~*~*~*~

May stirred her tea absentmindedly. She could hear crying from the other room, and hushed voices. The crying was obviously Misty, but Misty never acted that way. Ash couldn't be taking this well.

"I hope she's okay," she surprised herself by saying. She and the younger trainer had sat silently in the kitchen in front of cups of tea since Ash had walked in the door.

"Hmm?" Amilla questioned. She hadn't been listening.

"All I can hear is Misty crying. I hope Ash at least has the sense to act happy for her. She needs it!"

"They were planning on having kids at some point," Amilla whispered. "I heard them talking the day before the wedding. But, I think they were going to wait."

"Poor Misty." May sipped delicately out of the warm mug.

~*~*~*~

Ash pulled back from Misty a little, so that he could see her face. "How... how far along are you?"

"The doctor said about six weeks." she looked up, emerald eyes relieved that she hadn't let her husband down. "She said... In another three weeks, we can go in for an ultrasound... And see the baby."

That was when it set in. See the baby. A chill ran down Ash's spine. And yet he was suddenly filled with joy, smashing Misty in a sudden hug that made her yelp.

"I almost can't believe it, Misty. A baby..." He whispered into her ear, "_Our_ baby."

**;) Ash is so sweet to Misty. I love writing those scenes…**

**Anyway on to the next!**


	11. Chapter 11: Ultrasound

**Ash is so cute in this chapter…**

**I'll just tell you now, if you've read "Marley and Me" you're going to see some parallels between Jen's pregnancy with Patrick and Misty's…this may scare you or delight you. Just wait till the end of the chapter. And if you HAVEN'T read "Marley and Me"…go read it. After you finish this chapter.**

**ENJOY!**

"I am so excited," Ash whispered to his wife as they lay in bed. "Tomorrow we get to see the baby!"

Misty just laughed. Ash had been acting like a little kid expecting a new toy for the past three weeks. It had taken him no time at all to warm up to the idea of being a parent. Misty herself had relaxed when she knew he wasn't upset they hadn't waited.

"I'm glad we're keeping this a secret for now. May's telling Drew and Amilla's telling Trevor, but that's it." she looked into her husband's warm brown eyes. "I wanted time to adjust to it, too."

"Well, we're telling everyone tomorrow afternoon!" Ash declared. "It's been killing me to keep it from my mother. She's been really worried since you got sick."

"Ash?" Misty tried to interrupt.

"She's going to be so happy. Remember when she asked us-"

"Ash..." She said testily.

"-at the wedding when we were going to have kids? She really wants a grandbaby."

"ASH!"

Only when Misty shouted did Ash stop talking and look at her blankly.

"I swear, these past three weeks you've been worse than my sisters ever are!" she teased. He blushed.

"Sorry, Mist. I'm just so happy."

"I know. It's almost irritating." she rolled over, facing away from him. "Now sleep."

He pulled her body close to him. "I love you, Mist."

Misty mumbled something to a similar effect.

~*~*~*~

The next day dawned chilly but bright. Ash, of course, had barely slept for his excitement, but Misty remained sleeping soundly despite his attempt to wake her up. This had been normal lately; she had been increasingly tired and moody. She had random cravings, but still had to steer completely clear of cherries. The doctor, called frequently during the three weeks, had said it was all normal.

This morning, Misty woke with a groan. She hurt. Her stomach, her head. She was not in a good mood. Even Ash's kisses and reassurances couldn't really cheer her up.

"Do I have to get up?" she whined. Ash knew better than to press the matter, and simply encouraged.

"Mist, don't you want to get up? Today we get to see the baby." He stroked her fiery hair. "You've been looking forward to this for weeks. You told me so."

She looked up at him with pained green eyes. "My head hurts. My stomach hurts. I most certainly do not want to get up."

But eventually, with gentle prodding, she got up and dressed. Ash held her hand in the car as she winced over the tiniest bumps.

"I'm sorry, baby," he murmured, watching her grimace.

"Don't be. It's not you fault they won't fix these stupid roads."

It seemed to take forever to reach the clinic. Misty held her stomach as they walked in. The doctor, the same woman who'd seen Misty when she first found out, was able to see them immediately, and grinned. Misty still didn't cheer up.

"Hello, Ash, Misty. Ash, we've spoken over the phone a few times. I'm Dr. Linda." She shook his hand.

"Yes, and thank you. It's been...nerve-wracking." The doctor laughed.

"Oh, I know. I've seen many an expectant father in the same state." She beamed at the couple. "Are you two ready to see your baby?"

Misty cheered up slightly at the promise of seeing her unborn.

Dr. Linda took them back to an exam room decorated in shades of pale blue, pink, and purple. After the initial examination, where she declared everything fine, she sat them down and pulled out a machine and a small tube. "I'll have to put this jelly on your stomach. It's cold, but I have to do it. Pull up your shirt, now."

Misty did as she was told, wincing at the chill of the jelly. "It's so cold!" she whined, taking hold of Ash's hand, and found it unpleasantly clammy. "Are you nervous, baby?" She chuckled.

"Yeah, I am." he admitted. "I didn't think I'd be doing this for a long time."

The doctor ran a small sensor stick over Misty's belly. "There we go. Found it!"

The three stared at the screen. Ash and Misty commented that they really couldn't see anything. "Don't worry too much about it. Sometimes...the baby rolls over. They aren't always cooperative."

But still, after a few minutes, nothing could be seen.

"Is this...normal, doctor?" Ash asked nervously. He was beginning to sweat. Misty was holding her breath.

"Well..." she said slowly, "it's not what you'd expect to see at ten weeks."

**Does this chapter scare you?**

**It should.**

**WAIT AND SEE…**


	12. Chapter 12: A Scare and a Scolding

**ENJOY!**

"Wh-what?" Misty cried, her voice cracking. "What's wrong? Doctor?"

Suddenly there was a movement onscreen. The doctor let out a long breath.

"Nothing. We're okay. The baby was just turned to an angle where we couldn't see it. Like I said, sometimes they're uncooperative."

"Don't scare us like that again!" Misty scolded the unborn. "You are already too much like your father."

Ash just stared at the grey screen. He could see, faintly, tiny arms, legs, a head. It was almost...scary. That they were responsible for it.

He sighed deeply and laid his head on Misty's shoulder. "I was terrified." he whispered.

"Me too." she breathed. There was a long pause.

"Everything seems to be perfect."

"When can we find out if it's a boy or girl?" Ash asked.

"I can't tell right now, but I should be able to at about eighteen to twenty weeks, or at about four to five months. I'll schedule an appointment in two months, and we'll see if i can tell then."

The two left the clinic relieved and worn. Then, musing over whom to tell first and finally deciding on Misty's sisters, they drove slowly to the Cerulean gym.

~*~*~*~

"Oh my gosh!" Daisy, Violet, and Lily all squealed at the news, as Misty showed them the ultrasound image.

"Misty, you're gonna make a great mother!" Daisy hugged the redhead, who had been gripping firmly onto Ash's arm.

"I can't wait to buy it tons of cute little clothes!" Lily squealed.

"And toys!" Violet echoed. "All of those precious little Pokedolls and-"

"Um, guys?" Misty interrupted shyly. "Don't go in a shopping spree yet. We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl."

"Thats why we'll get neutral colors, like green and yellow!" Lily chirped.

"Can you at least wait until we've got the nursery set up?" Misty pleased. If her sisters had their way, the baby would never wear the same outfit twice. Ever.

"We can keep the stuff here until you've got a place to put it!" Violet suggested excitedly.

"Lil, Vi, maybe we should, I don't know, honor Misty's wishes?" Daisy interjected. "Ever heard of a little thing called respect?"

"Re-what?" Violet asked, twirling a strand of dark blue hair around her finger.

"Ooh! I know what that is, sis!" Lily attempted to save the day. "It's when you listen to somebody, and are really nice to them. Like the teachers at swim school always asked us to do!" Misty facepalmed. Daisy groaned.

"I think we should go." Ash nudged Misty.

"But aren't we're going to your mother's..." Misty muttered, perplexed.

"Its an hour's drive to Pallet, and I don't want to be back too late." he explained. Misty agreed and they said goodbye to her sisters.

They were just heading out the door when a small yellow figure appeared in front of them, sparks flicking angrily from its cheeks. "Pika pika!"

"Oh, hey, Pikachu," Misty greeted the Pokemon. "What's wrong?" Ash swore under his breath.

"Sorry, buddy," he apologized to the angry electric type. "I promised to bring him with us today," he explained to his wife, "but he was asleep when we left."

"Ash!" Misty chided. "You should have woken him up!"

"I didn't think about it," he admitted, for which he got a shock from the irate Pokemon. "Hey! I said I'm sorry!" But Pikachu was not satisfied with his trainer's apology for forgetting him. He hopped in the car with the two of them and continuously scolded Ash the entire hour to Pallet town.

Misty spent the entire time laughing.

**I'm not evil enough to kill off an unborn baby…I think I would cry…**

**I liked ending this chapter with some humor. That and I realized I've been so in the story I've been neglecting the fact that this is a Pokemon fanfiction and maybe, just maybe, I should put some Pokemon IN it…**

**Don't worry, there will be more Pokemon.**

**Leave a review if you like!**


	13. Chapter 13: Home and the Rest

**I LOVE how this chapter begins…it ends too quickly though…**

**Anyway ENJOY!**

Ash was extremely excited to tell his mother about the baby. They pulled up to her house and rang the bell. Delia was very surprised to see them.

"We'll hello there you two! Come in, I've just made cookies." The three - well, four with Pikachu - relaxed on large comfortable couches in the living room. "I'll go get the cookies." she grinned.

"Thanks, Mom." Ash said, gazing around the living room of his childhood home. It was all so comfortable and familiar, virtually unchanged in twenty years except for the progression of photographs of him, then he and Pikachu, and later he and Misty that lined dark wood walls and punctuated tables. The couch they reclined on was along a wall under four large windows that reached the ceiling. It sat behind a low wooden coffee table. An entertainment center, holding a silver television and CD stereo, took up the wall separating the kitchen and living room. Various objects, most of them handmade presents from Ash when he was a child, sat on the top with more photographs. A dark wooden desk, upon which sat an old grey computer and piles of papers, stood in the nook of a wall and a barrier between the room and the front door, in the other side of which was a closet and coat rack. It was all so familiar he could find anything in the house in his sleep.

After a few minutes, Ash's mother and her Pokemon returned to the room with cookies and glasses of milk. Misty snuggled up to Ash, tucking her feet under her, as she gladly took one.

"So how have you been lately, Misty? I was so worried when you went home sick last month. I haven't talked to you since." Misty smiled a little.

"Oh, I'm not really better, but the doctor figured out what it was. Is."

Delia looked relieved, but concerned. "It's not bad, is it?"

"No," Misty replied gently. "In fact, I think it's wonderful." In answer to Delia's confused look, she pulled out the ultrasound scan and handed it to her mother-in-law. The image brought tears to the older woman's eyes as she realized what it was.

"Oh, Misty," she whispered. "This is...amazing."

"We think so, too." Ash said, gripping Misty's hand.

"I'm finally getting a grandchild!" Delia beamed, looking at Ash. "I wasn't sure if this would ever happen. Even once you two were married. You've just always been on the move too much."

"Well, it's happening." he grinned. "I can't wait."

~*~*~*~

They told others, too.

"My best friends, married and pregnant!" Brock cheered, giving Misty a squishing hug and slapping Ash on the back. "Never thought I'd see the day!"

"Oh my gosh! That's fantastic!" Dawn cried, hugging them both.

"Wonderful, Ash." Professor Oak praised. "I wish the two of you nothing but the best."

"Nice job, Ketchum." Gary Oak teased. "Or should I say, 'Ketchums'?"

"Stop it, Gary!" His wife, Haley, scolded. She was six months pregnant. "This is great! Misty, our babies will be best friends!"

"I hope so!" Misty agreed.

~*~*~*~

Now the night was settling. The couple relaxed happily in their bed, Pikachu tucked, snoozing, in between them. Ash chuckled at his soft snoring.

"I love you, Misty."

"Ash?"

"Yeah, Mist?"

"Go to sleep."

**More Pikachu! He is too cute…**

**I love the reaction of Ash's mother.**

**Not much else to say…**

**Leave a review ;) Please?**


	14. Chapter 14: Cravings

**I LOVE THIS CHAPTER! It's so fun to write Misty with all of her cravings…**

**I hope you find this chapter as entertaining to read as I did to write it…**

**There's also a special appearance by one of my favorite Pokemon.**

**ENJOY!**

"Ash," Misty said sweetly from the doorway to the office one morning, "Could you go out and get some pickles?"

"Pickles?" he questioned, looking up from his paperwork.

"Yes, you know, like dill pickles? I'm craving pickles. Could you get some dill pickles? Or maybe some sweet pickles. Ooh, I know, bread and butter pickles!"

"Pickles?" Ash repeated. He still wasn't used to his expectant wife's cravings. Yesterday it had been lemon pie.

"Yes, Ash. Pickles. Because I'm craving them. You know, the doctor said that cravings are normal. And that they should be fulfilled. And I want pickles. And I want them now!" she shouted.

"Okay, okay, I'm going, I'm going," he muttered, heading out the door.

He returned twenty minutes later with four jars of pickles. "Are these what you wanted?" he asked tiredly.

"Yup!" she chirped, taking the jars. She then sat on the couch and satisfiedly ate every last pickle, much to Ash's disgust.

"I'm not even sure I could do that." he commented, making Misty angry.

"Hey! I'm pregnant! And with your baby, mister, so leave off!" she shouted at Ash.

"Fine, okay, sure." He retreated to finish his paperwork.

A few hours later, she appeared in the office again and stood behind him, throwing her arms loosely around his neck. "Ash... I'm craving a milkshake..." she whispered in his ear.

"You already ate four jars of pickles..." he shuddered.

"I. Want. My. Milkshake." she growled.

Not wanting to endure the pregnant-Misty wrath, he lunged out the door with a squeak. "What kind of milkshake?"

"Chocolate banana." she called after him.

~*~*~*~

Later, the couple cuddled on the couch, sipping milkshakes: Misty her chocolate banana, Ash a vanilla, and, over on the arm of the couch, Pikachu happily drinking a blueberry slushy.

"Thank you, Ash," Misty grinned.

"Pika pikapi!" Pikachu echoed.

"You're welcome, you two." Ash glowered. "Pikachu, I swear you get as many treats as Misty out of this." The Pokémon, who had also enjoyed a slice of lemon pie the night before, gave a cheeky grin.

"You're the one who decides to give it to him," Misty pointed out. "So it's not his fault."

"It is if he asks."

It was Misty's turn to glare. "Pikachu is like a child, Ash. He may ask, but it's not his fault if you give."

"He's a Pokémon. He's still a member of this family, but he's not a child."

"Well, pretend he is. You want to be a good father, don't you?" she asked, resting a hand on her stomach.

"Yeah. I guess." Ash muttered. He was silent for a while after that.

~*~*~*~

"Ash..." He woke to a purring voice in his ear.

"What is it, Mist?" he asked groggily, sitting up. "Are you getting sick?"

"No, I'm fine." She paused. "But I have this craving..."

Ash groaned. Misty's cravings had only gotten worse over the past few days. And they were constant. Spaghetti, apricots, jelly doughnuts, apples, parmesan cheese, rocky road ice cream. The doctor had said they'd settle down and be less frequent after a month or two, but for right now, the cravings were here to stay.

"What is it this time?"

"Ash, this one's weird. It makes me worried almost..." Ash opened his eyes wide and stared at her. He could just barely make out her sparkling emerald eyes, heavy with concern.

"What...what is it?" he asked nervously.

"I really, really want a cherry pie."

"But cherry makes you sick."

"I know. That's why I'm worried. Ash, I've puked my guts out almost every day. This damn morning sickness is about to kill me. But the cherry...that was how I found out I was pregnant in the first place. I got sick when I smelled Amilla's cherry perfume. I'm craving cherry pie but I don't want to get sick!"

"Well, we'll have to try it." he said. "We found that out with your pickled beet craving-"

"I hate pickled beets," she shuddered.

"I know. But it won't go away until you eat some cherry pie." he sighed. "Can you wait till morning? I'll call my mother and ask her to bring one over."

"Sure." Misty mumbled into the pillow.

"Thank you." Ash replied, and fell asleep again.

~*~*~*~

Delia said she would be delighted to run over a pie for Misty.

"Thanks, Mom. It's what she's craving, but we have to be careful. The cherry made her sick last time, and multiple times after that."

Ash hung up the phone and walked outside. It wasn't six in the morning yet, but he knew his mother rose at five and wanted to try to have the pie delivered as close to Misty's waking as possible, or she would be almost deadly in her hormone-induced anger.

He unlocked the door to the heated heavy metal shed in the backyard and stepped in, enjoying its silence and warmth. A shatterproof case held fifteen occupied Pokéballs, all Ash's. He knew only one would possibly be awake at the dawning hour. He unlocked the case and reached in for one of the red and white spheres. He closed the door to the case and pressed the button on the ball. A dim red light shone before him and molded into a slim black Pokémon with golden rings glowing on its ebony coat.

"Good morning, Umbreon."

The nocturnal Pokémon grumbled, twitching its ears in annoyance. Ash figured he had disturbed it as it was settling down for sleep.

"I haven't worked with you in a while. I bet you were getting bored in there, huh?"

"Umber. Umbreon." it greeted its trainer in a deep, husky voice.

"What do you say we train a bit before you head in to sleep, m'kay?" The black Pokémon nodded and they stepped into the crisp air of the backyard. Ash spotted a tree. "Okay, Umbreon, use that as your target. Tail whip!" The dark type's tail glowed a bright blood red as it leapt into the air, spinning as it neared the tree, and sliced off a branch with its tail, landing neatly in the grass.

"Umbre! Eon!"

"Good job, Umbreon. Now use Psychic on the branch!" Umbreon' red eyes gave off a sickly light as it concentrated, and soon the glow spread throughout the severed branch. It lifted into the air and stuck firmly in the top of the tree.

"Great!" Ash started to call another attack when he heard a car pull up to the house. It was his mother's car, and she stepped out holding a pan. "Has it been so long already?" Ash asked no one in particular, and pulled Umbreon's Pokeball off his belt. "Great job, Umbreon. Return." The Pokémon was surrounded by a flash of light and retreated to the sphere. Ash walked to the front of the house, fastening the ball back to his belt.

"Hey, Mom."

"Ash, honey, I figured you were inside with Misty."

Suddenly feeling a bit guilty for taking the hour to train his Pokémon, Ash blushed. "She's still asleep as far as I know." But as they walked into the house, they could hear retching from the upstairs bathroom. "Oh, no," he said, running upstairs.

He found Misty with her head above the toilet. She hardly noticed his entrance, but groaned as he took her hair in hand and rubbed her back. He stayed until she rinsed her mouth out and carried her back into the bedroom.

"Sleep a little more, okay, baby?" he whispered, setting her down on the bed.

"No, Ash, I'm up. I just got sick." She looked at him. "And I still really want cherry pie." she grinned weakly.

"Well, then cherry pie you shall have, because my mother's here." he joked. Then he picked her up again, bridal style, carried her downstairs to the couch and sat beside her. Misty blushed as Delia walked in with a plate.

"Oh, don't look at me. I'm a mess!" she whined. Ash had to admit it was at least partially true. Her hair was straggly and tangled, her clothes were slept-in and wrinkled, and her face was tired. But he still thought she looked gorgeous, because she was Misty.

"Oh, don't worry about it, dear." Delia reassured her. "I know all about that." She threw a wink at her son, who glared at her. "Ash caused me more trouble than this." She handed Misty the plate.

Cautiously the redhead took a bite of the pie. Grinning, she took another, and soon had finished off the piece.

"That was fantastic, Mrs. Ketchum."

"Thank you, dear. And don't call me that; we share it now. Call me Delia, please."

"Okay. Can I have another piece?"

"But Misty," Ash interrupted, "you aren't sick at all?"

"Not a bit." she smiled at him. "I'm not feeling sick at all!"

~*~*~*~

Late that night, Ash was woken by a voice.

"Ash..." it purred. "I'm craving strawberries..."

"Oh, no."

**I love Umbreon :)**

**Leave a review if you liked! I LOVE to read them and they inspire me to write more!**


	15. Chapter 15: Baby Bump

**I almost scrapped this chapter because there's quite a bit of Amilla/Trevor drama…and Ash gives probably the most deep advice we've ever heard. But I decided, hey, why not? I'll put it up.**

**Enjoy!**

Misty hummed to herself one morning as she sat in front of the vanity, putting in a pair of earrings that Ash had given her a few years back. They were a bright turquoise stone hanging from a delicate silver chain, and were some of her favorites.

She got up to go to the closet, Pikachu following her, enjoying the song she hummed. She picked out a long-sleeved turquoise top with small bronze-colored beads lined around the square neckline and a pair of brown pants.

As she began to take off the tank top she'd slept in, she glanced in the full-length mirror on one end of the closet and noticed something off. Something slightly...not right. Not wrong, but not quite right. She beamed as she realized what it was.

"See it, Pikachu?" she asked the electric type accompanying her. He couldn't, and looked questioningly at his trainer's wife. In answer, she laid a hand over her stomach. "The baby's growing."

Pikachu babbled quietly at the barely noticeable development.

Quickly Misty dressed and headed downstairs, where Ash was headed out to train his Pokémon. She giggled and gave him a hug. He was startled.

"Woah, hey there, Mist. You're in a good mood today." It was a pleasant surprise for the Pokémon master, as Misty's pregnancy had been full of mood swings. Luckily her cravings only showed up once in a while anymore.

"Guess what, honey?" she cooed. "I'm showing!" she stepped back and looked at him. "Can you see?"

Looking hard at her tight shirt, he was finally able to see it. Just a very small, almost invisible roundness to her figure. Only the two of them would ever have noticed.

"Babe..." he said softly. "Wow. I just..." he was at a loss for words. She kissed him gently on the lips.

"Have a good day, Ash. I've got to get to the gym."

"Uh... Bye." He stood there, speechless, as she darted out the door.

~*~*~*~

Later that afternoon, Ash returned home to find Misty asleep on the couch. She woke as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Exciting day at the gym?" he asked.

"Three challengers. The last one beat me, but I was pretty worn by then. I got sick, so Violet took over and I came home."

Ash sat down and she rested her head on his lap. He caressed her hair and mumbled sweet nonsense in a low voice. It seemed sweet to Misty until she caught something about French toast; then, she bust out laughing.

"French toast? Are you hungry?" she giggled. Ash blushed.

"Maybe a little."

"Well then go get cleaned up, we're going to Trevor and Amilla's at five-thirty. Remember?"

"Its already five!"

"Then get moving."

~*~*~*~

The two couples met at Amilla's and Trevor's home on the other side of Cerulean. Amilla was just finishing preparing dinner.

"I am so glad to see you two!" Amilla cried. "Misty, how have you been?"

"Oh, I've just been, well, pregnant!" she giggled. Ash noticed Trevor shoot a small glare at Amilla, but it was soon replaced by an affectionate look as she turned to him.

"Baby, will you set the food out? I want to talk to Misty for a minute."

"Can't it wait?" Trevor asked her testily. Ash, always impulsive, felt like smacking him in the face, but didn't. Every couple had their problems. He barely knew the blond young man. He kept his temper in check.

"No, I need to talk to her now." And she dragged the redhead into another room, closing the door.

"What's up, Amilla?" Misty asked nervously.

"I need your help," she whispered. "Oh, and don't mind Trevor. He's just... A little in shock right now."

"Why?"

"I just got home from the doctor's two hours ago. Misty, I'm two weeks pregnant."

"Always following in my footsteps, aren't you, Millie?" Misty asked. "Why do you need my help?"

"I need you to help me convince him that a baby will be wonderful. Misty, you're expecting. You can go on and on about babies without suspicion."

"Okay," The redhead agreed reluctantly, taking a few moments to think.

"Thank you so much."

~*~*~*~

Trevor let out a long sigh as he and Ash took seats at the table. Then he looked the Pokémon master straight in the eye and asked slowly,

"What did you do when Misty told you she was pregnant?"

Ash was surprised at the question. He had to think back a few months to the day when he'd held the sobbing redhead in his arms as she told him...

"I was pretty much in shock," he heard himself admit. "I wasn't sure what to think. See, we'd promised...to wait. A while. But that didn't happen." he chuckled. "And now I've got Misty and a baby on the way." He paused for a moment, deep in thought. "I can say it's one of the best things that's ever happened to me." He glanced over at the blond trainer and saw his silver-blue eyes were downcast. "Why?"

"Don't let on that you know," the young man mumbled hastily, "but Amilla's pregnant. And I'm worried I upset her. I kind of yelled at her. I didn't expect this at all. She's nineteen. We're nineteen. She shouldn't have to do this."

"Well, let me tell you this: if it makes her happy, it's certainly worth looking at positively." he winked, "Or you risk getting hit with a mallet."

Trevor was confused. "What?"

Ash shook his head. "Never mind." And the two carried on a conversation about Trevor's latest Pokémon.

~*~*~*~

The two girls returned to the dining room, where the boys sat, chatting it up about Pokémon. "Well," Ash interrupted, "here are the lovely ladies."

Misty giggled. Amilla blushed. "Sorry, I just...it was a girl thing."

"Dont worry, Millie," Trevor reassured her. Amilla and Misty exchanged confused looks. He seemed far calmer now.

The couples dined on the meal, which received hearty compliments. Amilla just blushed; cooking was a hobby of hers.

"So, Misty, how's the pregnancy going?" Trevor asked.

The redhead beamed at the man and his fiancée. "Great. I've just barely started showing."

"Really?" Amilla squealed. "I didn't even notice! I'm sorry!"

"Don't be," Misty giggled girlishly. "Ash could hardly tell."

"Hey, now," her husband protested. "At least I could tell." His face was hurt, but secretly he was greatly enjoying his wife's new good mood. She had been easily upset lately. It was a change he loved and relished.

They all laughed, and Amilla relaxed.

~*~*~*~

Later that night, Amilla tucked her head into her fiancé's chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

"So...you're not angry anymore?" she asked hesitantly.

"No," Trevor replied, kissing her hair. "If it makes you happy, I'll be happy with you."

Joy swelled in Amilla's chest, spreading throughout her body. Trevor was willing to accept the pregnancy. She was grateful. She knew it would all work out.

~*~*~*~

Ash rubbed his wife's growing stomach lovingly as they lay in bed that night. He could see it clearly now, a barely discernible bump. His child was there. It sent a chill through him to think it, but it was welcome.

"It's starting...to become real. You know?" he whispered. Misty snorted.

"It was real for me when I was throwing up five times a day." she muttered tiredly. "Now go to sleep. I love you, Ash."

"I love you too, Mist."

**Probably the longest chapter I've written yet…I wanted them all to be longer but oh well…**

**Leave a review and let me know – too much drama? Amilla's the third character pregnant now. (Misty, Haley, Amilla) Also, do you want to see more Amilla/Trevor? I like this couple ;)**

**Pokemon. There will be more Pokemon next chapter. I promise!**


	16. Chapter 16: Battle

**This chapter took a while, given that I lost half of it…but it's up now!**

**Pokemon battle! Rawr! I love writing these battles. So much describing…so many synonyms to look up…so much research on these Pokemon to figure out what moves they can do. So much time…**

**But anyway enjoy!**

"This will be a one-on-one battle for the Cerulean City cascade badge!" Misty called over the gentle sound of lapping water from the gym's pool. "Are you ready?"

Her challenger, a teenage boy with tousled navy hair, nodded and pulled a Pokéball off his belt. Misty did the same.

"The let the battle begin! Vaporeon, I choose you!" Her loyal and protective partner manifested from a red light, hunched in a defensive position, calling its name, an excited smile spreading over its blue face.

"Go Mightyena!" the boy shouted, and the grey canine seemed to leap out of the tossed Pokéball. It growled aggressively, well-developed muscles rippling under a gleaming pelt.

Misty grinned. This Mightyena would not go easy. But that was fine with her. She and her partners enjoyed a challenge.

"Mightyena, tackle!" The powerful creature stormed to the other end of the arena, swimming strongly through the aqua pool like it was nothing. Misty was awed.

"Vaporeon," she called, snapping out of her fascinated trance, "dive into the pool!" The water type did as told, slipping into the substance so swiftly the cerulean liquid was barely disturbed. Mightyena stopped to tread water, confused. Its opponent was invisible, having melded its own structure with the water molecules. "Now use Wave!"

The water seemed to move on its own, pooling together to rise to an incredible height. Mightyena could only watch as the wave crashed into its body.

"Mightyena! No!" the navy-haired youngster cried. Soon, however, the Pokémon thrust its head out of the water to face the water type enemy now on the edge of the pool, causing a sigh of relief from the boy. "Use bite!"

Again the silver-and-black canine rushed towards Vaporeon. "Dodge it!" Misty yelled.

"Mightyena, Double Team!"

This attack gave Misty pause. Usually it was used by a dodging Pokémon to escape a direct attack. But she saw how it worked. Mightyena hallucinations attacked Vaporeon from all sides, until the water type was thoroughly confused.

"Vaporeon! Quick, Aqua Ring!"

Before her opponent could land a direct attack, the blue creature summoned, seemingly from her own paws, a ring of ice-cold water, which went flailing in different directions. The translucent doubles faded to one solid Pokémon as they were soaked,

"Aurora Beam, Vaporeon!"

Now the water dropped harmlessly to the poolside, and a bright white orb manifested in front of the small blue creature's mouth.

"Mightyena, tackle!" the boy yelled. The grey Pokémon moved swiftly and managed to hit Misty's Vaporeon before its attack fully formed.

The collision turned into an explosion. A giant crackling was heard. Brilliant beams of light shine from the aurora beam that hadn't gained full control.

And then nothing.

Both trainers went momentarily blind by the light, their eyes unused to the brilliance, their sight eventually returning. At first glance, they could see neither Pokémon moving.

"Vaporeon, no!"

"Mightyena!"

Suddenly there was a stir. The heaping mass of black and grey fur twitched. Slowly, shakily, the canine returned to his feet and his trainer.

Vaporeon was beaten. Beaten, but alive. "Vaporeon, return," Misty said quietly. The weak water type retreated to the Pokeball. She turned to the navy-haired boy and pressed an aqua-blue, water-drop-shaped badge into his hand. "You earned it," she whispered. "Your Mightyena is very strong."

"Thank you," the boy replied. "Come on, Mightyena, return." The weary canine did as it was told and the challenger left.

~*~*~*~

Misty sat silently by the edge of the gym pool. One hand rested on the bright blue fur of her well-healed Vaporeon, the other on her rounding stomach.

"I'm already four months along," she crooned to her loyal friend. "I have only two more weeks to wait, Vay, before I can find out if it's a boy or girl."

"Vay! Por?"

"Of course you'll be the first of my Pokémon to know. Ash promised Pikachu he could come this time, but I'm afraid they won't allow you," she informed the excited Pokémon. She loved that she could have conversations with her partner, a gift from Ash years ago, almost like Ash could with Pikachu. Misty and her Vaporeon had formed a rapport immediately, and were extremely close. She swore the water type had the ability to read her mind. It wasn't impossible.

A splash distracted the two from their thoughts.

"What was that?" Misty whispered nervously. Vaporeon jumped to her paws, fur bristling defensively.

The splash sounded again.

This time Misty was able to figure out where it was coming from: the rack where she stored her pokéballs during the day. She was on her feet in an instant and dashed toward the other corner of the pool, Vaporeon running after her.

They rounded the corner to where the rack sat and Misty screamed. "Psyduck!"

The ditzy yellow Pokémon was grabbing pokéballs off the metal bars and tossing them into the pool. It had Gyrados' ball in its grip, and Misty noticed her Seaking's ball was missing. She glimpsed it floating gently in the water. Psyduck raised an arm and took aim.

"Psyduck, no!" Misty shouted, lunging for the red-and-white sphere. Her Gyrados and Seaking were powerful, reckless, and fierce enemies. To free them at the same time meant destruction the gym.

As she headed for Psyduck, she slipped on a patch of water caused by a splashing ball, crashing so hard to the ground it winded her.

"Vay!" her partner cried, trying to help Misty. She waved the Pokémon away, clutching her stomach and gasping for breath.

"Get...the-the ball, Vaporeon!"

The obedient Pokémon tried, leaping forward to tackle Psyduck, but the yellow creature sidestepped the attack and sent Vaporeon skidding in a puddle. She tried to melt her paws into the water to stop herself, but was unable to and crashed into the wall, knocked unconscious.

"Vaporeon, no!"

Psyduck tossed the ball. It hit the water, and from two bicolored spheres emerged two large, powerful Pokémon. They spotted each other. Gyrados roared.

Time seemed to move in slow motion. Misty was helpless. She had surely sprained her ankle; it was killing her and she knew she wouldn't be able to stand. Her other pokéballs were out of reach. Her only controllable Pokémon was unconscious.

Misty couldn't see the enraged battle. She couldn't even move, becoming weaker and weaker as the pain overtook her.

Somewhere a door opened. Someone called her name.

Then it all went black.

**I left you in suspense! I'm so evil. And now you're panicking. Rushing through these notes to get to the next chapter…**

**Well then go already!**

**And leave a review…!**


	17. Chapter 17: Recovery

**I know you're desperate to read this. So enjoy!**

Slowly the redhead opened her eyes. She could see around her only by the gentle light of a small lamp. She was in a hospital room. In a bed. The walls were stark white. The ceiling, too. What was that smell? Antiseptic. Cleaners. Faintly she heard a steady, rhythmic beeping. Turning her head, she saw a large grey machine. Its black screen was run through by a sharp, jagged green line. A heart monitor.

Gradually her eyes adjusted. The room was easier to see now. A chair rested in a corner by the door. A figure lounged in it, seemingly asleep, but she couldn't make it out. There was no light from the window by the bed.

She started to move, to sit up, but her left side and ankle wouldn't allow her to move at all. A small part of the figure raised, a lump, and made a delighted sound. Soon it removed itself from the chair and jumped up on the bed, carefully. The redhead found herself staring into a pair of round black eyes set in a cherubic yellow face.

"Pikachu?" she muttered hoarsely. The creature chirped its own name happily, causing the figure in the chair to awaken.

"What's wrong, Pikachu?" a voice asked groggily. The redhead knew that voice. It belonged to only one person.

"Ash?"

The figure jumped as if he'd been shot. He stood up and rushed unsteadily over to the bedside.

"Misty, you're awake! How...how are you feeling?"

"Sore," she mumbled. "What happened?"

"I-I don't really know," he paused. "Brock and I were going to the gym to pick you up. But when we got there, Gyrados and Seaking were in an all-out war. I found you and Vaporeon knocked out cold by the Pokeball rack. Psyduck was wandering around like an idiot."

"Vaporeon!" Misty cried. "How is she? Was she hurt?"

"Not too badly. She's in the Pokémon center with the other three. Do you remember what happened? I know you don't let those two out together." Something in Misty's memory clicked.

"Vay and I were sitting by the pool when Psyduck got out. He started throwing pokéballs into the water. Vay skidded into a wall, and I slipped and fell. I blacked out." Her stomach lurched, and she had a sudden concern. "The baby! Ash, when I fell, I...I fell on my stomach!" Tears welled up in her eyes. "Did they check the baby out? Ash, is it okay?"

Ash rested a hand comfortingly on her belly. "Everything's fine. The baby's just perfect. It was one of the first things they checked." Misty relaxed, relieved. The baby was everything to her - to them - now. How would life go on if it wasn't there? She didn't want to answer the question. "Why don't you sleep now?"

"One more thing," she whispered. "The gym?"

Ash grimaced. "It's...practically destroyed. It'll take a couple months to fix. They have to completely redo it. Luckily you've got the outdoor pool."

Misty whimpered. Her boss would not be happy with this. The entire Cerulean gym, destroyed beyond renovation by the gym leader's own Pokémon? This would not go over well.

"It'll be fine, baby." Ash murmured softly. "Don't worry. It wasn't your fault. Now get some sleep. I love you." He kissed her forehead and moved back to the chair.

Misty stayed awake a few more minutes, thinking. Pikachu snuggled between her right arm and side, falling asleep quickly. Misty smiled and did the same.

~*~*~*~

The redhead lounged on the couch, flipping through boring tv channels, balancing her sore ribs, pregnant belly, and sprained ankle. She groaned as the latter sent a shot of pain through her leg.

"Are you okay, Mist?" Ash popped his head out from the office.

"I'm fine. Well, fine as I can be right now. Except that I'm bored out of my mind."

"Already? You've been home for three hours." he chuckled. His active wife hated to be stuck with strict bed rest. "I'll be finished soon. Just give me a minute."

Misty sighed and lazily watched an old championship battle unfold on the television. It was a famous one. She already knew the ending. A new battle started - still an old one, but a few years newer - as Ash walked in.

"Hey, look, baby." Misty said sweetly. "It's you."

Indeed it was. It was a Johto league battle, Ash against some gym leader only the announcers knew the name of anymore. Ash had been fourteen; the battle was a close loss only a month before the two had started dating.

Ash switched it off.

"Hey! I was watching that, Ash Ketchum!" she snapped, not exactly playfully.

"Aw, no you weren't, Misty Ketchum. Besides, you know what happens anyway. Pidgeot got knocked out." He sat down beside her on the spacious couch and kissed her.

They broke apart when Ash's cell phone rang. "Hello? ... Oh, hey Trevor...what?... Yes, that's normal...I'm sure." Misty wondered why Trevor hadn't called her phone when she realized it was dead upstairs. "I swear. It is really weird. We just have to live with it... No, it doesn't really go away... It gets better, though...Sure. We'd love to." he laughed. "No problem, man. Talk to ya later." He grinned at Misty. "Amilla's getting her cravings."

"About time! She's two months along already!" Her interest was piqued. "What does she want?"

"She has an 'intense desire for lemon meringue pie'." he joked. "And those were her words!" The two of them laughed until Misty's stomach turned. "Still getting nauseous?" he asked worriedly.

"Sometimes. Not too often."

He gave her a kiss. "Seeing as poor Trevor was forced to go out and get an entire pie, he invited us over for some. What do you say?"

"Sure. I was just thinking it sounded good." she giggled.

~*~*~*~

Misty walked into her boss's headquarters. It had been a week since the accident, and she was finally able to walk on her bad ankle. A bead of sweat balled up on her brow. What would he say? The gym was totaled.

"Misty." the balding man said simply. "Good to see you. How are you?"

"Good, sir, thank you." She replied nervously. "And you?"

"I was doing better before the...incident." he looked at the expectant mother with a sympathetic eye. "I know the destruction wasn't your fault. You did fill out a full report. I've dealt with your...notorious, shall we say, Psyduck before." A small grin twitched at the corners of Misty's mouth. "That thing can be a handful. A pain in the- pardon. A pain in the neck. I'm not surprised, really, that this was his doing. And seeing as you were injured trying to prevent the incident, we will find the gym restoration entirely."

Misty breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir."

"However," the man continued, "I do reccomend that you get rid of that Psyduck, lest this happen again. We might not be able to foot the bill next time."

Misty tried to surpress a gasp. Get rid of a Pokémon? She'd never done that before. But it was true. The ditzy creature was unpredictable.

"All right. I'll send him to professor Oak."

"See that you do."

And with this, Misty left, feeling strangely euphoric and depressed at the same time.

Stupid hormones.

**I keep telling you I'm not evil enough to kill someone off!**

**Poor Trevor, he doesn't know how to deal with Amilla, so he asks Ash or Misty. Of course, they happily oblige X3**

**Leave a review?**


	18. Chapter 18: He, She, or It

**Finally chapter 18…when I started this story I never thought I would get here! Thanks for all the positive reviews and feedback from everybody! It makes my day to read a review on this story.**

**Finally we get to find out the gender of the baby! And finally I can post the short stories I've done, because now, I don't have to disguise their first child's name in the future ones. Yay!**

**Sooo ENJOY!**

Misty awoke to the gentle patter of rain on the window of their bedroom. Ash wasn't up yet. As usual. The room was dark, and the alarm clock on the nightstand read seven-thirty.

Misty stretched and felt her stomach roll, filling her with joy as she remembered the importance of the day. It was her second-trimester ultrasound. She and her husband were going to find out the sex of their unborn baby. It was a day they'd been looking forward to for months. Misty was sure it was a girl. Ash was convinced it was a boy.

Unwittingly, she slapped Ash gently in the face with her outstretched hand. As he stirred, she giggled softly, stroking Pikachu, who was laying on Ash's chest.

"Did you hit me?" he slurred sleepily. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing." she chirped. "Time to get up, though, honey."

"It was so weird," he mumbled. "I was dreaming...that Charizard..."

"What?" Misty asked.

"Charizard had, like, twenty babies...a ton of charmanders running around the house!" Ash had a wide-eyed look, like this might have actually happened.

Misty laughed. "Charizard is safe in the shed, and the only baby in this house is right here," she rubbed her growing belly. "Now get ready, my crazy Pokémon master husband, we've got an appointment at nine."

"I still want a boy."

"Not your choice, is it?" she teased, standing and moving towards the closet.

"Well, sort of. Remember in the books, it said-"

"Ash, shut up!" she cried, tossing a pillow at his face, barely missing. "You need to stop reading those! I don't need a science lesson."

Ash chuckled to himself.

~*~*~*~

They arrived at the clinic through the pouring rain with five minutes to spare. The doctor took them back to a room at once.

"Well hello, Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum." Dr. Linda greeted them cheerily. "We've been having a lot of rain lately, huh?"

"I don't mean to be rude, but can we get on with it?" Misty asked. "I'm kinda impatient over here!" Ash elbowed her gently and she scowled at him.

"Of course! Don't worry, I get it; I've been there." She rubbed the icy jelly on Misty's exposed stomach and flipped on the machine. It seemed to take forever to Misty, but finally she saw it on the screen. It brought a tear to her eye.

"Can you see it?" the doctor asked. When both Ash and Misty confirmed that they could, she pointed at the screen. "You can really tell now...at eighteen weeks, a baby is almost fully formed, though still small. Your baby is only about five inches long. Development is a bit slow, but they all develop at their own pace. I wouldn't worry a bit. Oh-" she pointed at the grey blob, similar to a face, on the screen. "It's sucking its thumb!" Misty giggled and Ash took her hand, smiling. "We see that sometimes. Not often, but it happens." She turned to face them. "Did you know your baby can hear our voices? It's just getting used to them. It knows your voice best, Misty, but it'll be comfortable with Ash, too." Misty beamed at the thought. "You can start talking to it. Many babies like to hear stories after they're born that were read to them when they were still in the womb."

"So, doctor," Ash interrupted, "Can you tell at this point...if it's a boy or a girl?"

She grinned. "Probably. It seems to be more cooperative this time around." She studied the screen for a minute that seemed like eternity. "I think I've got it. But... What do each of you want?"

"I want a girl," Misty stated simply.

"I was hoping for a boy," Ash said.

"Well..." the doctor stared at the screen just a little longer. "One of you will get your wish."

"What is it?" Misty nearly screamed.

"I believe...you're having...a girl!"

Misty let out a joyful squeal and covered her mouth with her hands, giggling. Ash was smiling, but his look was sober.

"A baby girl," he muttered under his breath, looking intently at the ultrasound screen. "My baby girl."

"What's wrong, Ash?" Misty asked quietly. Her look was questioning. "Aren't you happy?"

"Yeah," he replied slowly. "I'm just...so happy I don't know what to do with myself."

Misty laughed. "I thought you wanted a boy?"

"I did," he admitted. "But I guess she decided not to listen." he smiled and Misty groaned.

"What are we going to do with a little girl just like you?"

"I don't know," he chuckled. "I don't know."

~*~*~*~

"We need to think of names now!" Misty exclaimed on the way to her sisters' home after the appointment. The rain had stopped while they were in the clinic. "I thought of a few... But most of them were boy names. I don't know why."

"I hadn't even thought about it ," Ash admitted. "But now that I am... I like 'Emily'."

"Maybe." Misty thought. "Or 'Christina'. That one is cute. 'Caterina', 'Lizzy', 'Amy'..."

"Maybe your sisters will have some ideas." Ash suggested, parking the car in front of the aqua-blue house.

"Oh, don't even mention names to them!" Misty cried. "We'll never hear the end of the list!"

Ash laughed. "Okay. I won't say a thing."

They were welcomed warmly into the house by Misty's sisters. "So? Daisy asked impatiently. "Boy or girl?"

"Well..." Misty said slyly. "You're going to be buying lots of pink, I'm sure."

"Why?" Lily asked, confused. "What does that mean?"

"It means they're having a girl, Lil!" Violet answered. "Even I know that!"

"Oh!" Lily grinned. Misty facepalmed.

"I'm going to have a niece!" Daisy shrieked, hugging her redheaded sister. "I never thought you'd be the first one of us to be a mom, Misty. I just wouldn't have thought it."

"Mist, it's almost noon. We're supposed to be meeting Trevor and Amilla." Ash interrupted. Misty nodded.

"Daisy! Lil! Come on; shopping time!" Violet called, grabbing a purse. "Now we know to buy for a girl, so we can get so much more! Let's go!"

Ash and Misty exchanged a worried glance as they left.

"Well," Misty thought slowly, "I have a feeling our baby will never want for clothes..."

"The less we'll have to buy!" Ash quipped. Misty groaned. "Hey, it's true."

"Just drive."

~*~*~*~

"So, Ash, should we tell them now?" Misty asked, a hand on her stomach, as they lounged on the couch at their friends' home after lunch. "I'm sure they're dying to know."

"Know what?" Amilla asked, rubbing her stomach. At two months along in her own pregnancy, she was still frequently nauseous and tired.

"We found out the sex of the baby today," Ash explained.

"Ooh!" Amilla squealed. "What is it?" Being an expectant mother, the nineteen-year-old shared Misty's excitement.

"We're expecting a girl." Misty informed her excited friend.

"Aww, yay!" She gushed. "I really want a girl, too. Or a boy would be great. I don't really care, I guess!" she giggled, snuggling up into her fiancé.

"What is up with you?" Trevor asked her. "You have been as bubbly and giddy as a little kid."

"Hey, at least she's not moody. Misty's been lucky to have a good day recently. I'm permanently red from as many times as she's slapped me."

"Hey!" Misty objected. "It's not like I can control it!"

"True, but you don't have to take it out on me."

"You caused it!"

"How?"

"You got me pregnant, that's how!" she snapped, raising an arm to hit him.

"See?" he pointed out.

"You still caused it!"

They were interrupted by a loud, girly laugh. Amilla hadn't been able to hold in her amusement at their argument. Trevor, however, had more self-control and was biting his lip in an attempt to contain his own laughter.

Misty and Ash exchanged a look. Misty's mouth twitched at the corner. Suddenly she began to laugh, much to Ash's bewilderment.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "See? See?" he tried to point out to his friends. "She goes through mood swings like she goes through pickles!"

This only brought on more laughter until Amilla grabbed her stomach and raced to the bathroom. Suddenly it ceased, replaced by a slight tension.

Trevor made an awkward attempt to apologize. "She does that. It's the baby, she-"

"Um, Trevor," Misty interrupted. "I'm pregnant too. We get it."

Amilla soon returned to the group and the chatter continued.

**Misty's sisters…are so ditzy…but they are so fun to write. Amilla and Trevor are so cute.**

**Don't worry, I plan to put some May and Dawn in here soon! I've been neglecting them! And I want to write about May's son ;)**

**Leave a review if you like!**


	19. Chapter 19: Sweet Talk, Pancakes, a Call

**Fluffy fluffy! Heehee ;)**

**This one took a long time to get up, sorry.**

**Enjoy!**

Ash woke slowly one morning to his wife's soft voice whispering something. He could barely make out what she was saying, and he rolled closer to her. She didn't seem to notice. But what she was saying surprised him.

"Don't worry, sweetie, I know you're hungry. We'll eat as soon as Daddy gets up. It won't be much longer." Her tone perplexed Ash. He'd never heard it before, she'd never used it with anyone. It was so sweetly gentle, almost a coo.

"Misty?"

She jumped. "Ash! You scared me! I didn't know you were awake."

"Only just now." he yawned, stretching and sitting up. "Who were you talking to?"

"The baby." She blushed and laid a hand on her belly, which was already large at five months. "I remembered a few days ago...that the doctor said she can hear us. So I started talking to her. She seems to like it. I think I can feel her moving."

Ash put his own hand over his wife's and kissed her on the forehead. "Well, good morning, my precious girls." His words made Misty giggle despite his warm tone. Suddenly she gave a little gasp and clutched her belly.

"She moved again!" Misty whispered excitedly before changing to the baby voice again. "Do you hear Daddy? That means he's awake. And we can eat now."

The door to the bedroom creaked open. Ash and Misty turned their heads as a small yellow figure jumped on the bed. "Pika pika!" it cried.

"Hey, Pikachu." Misty greeted her husband's faithful friend. "Ash, do you think the baby knows Pikachu's voice, too?"

Ash had to laugh. "Maybe. You never know!"

The three headed downstairs and decided on pancakes for breakfast. While Misty was mixing the batter, Pikachu opened the refrigerator door and rummaged inside. After a moment he emerged, holding a carton.

"Blueberries?" Misty asked him. "You want blueberry pancakes?"

"Pika! Pikachu!" he nodded gleefully.

"All right!" she agreed, mixing the flavorful fruit in the mix.

A half hour later, Ash watched in amusement as Misty polished off her seventh blueberry pancake.

"Dang, Mist. Hungry?"

She glared at him. "Not my fault. Baby makes me eat for two! And it's not like you don't eat that much. I mean, Pikachu ate four!"

"Pika! Chu." the cherubic Pokémon grinned proudly.

Ash started to say something, but was interrupted by his phone's ringer. He picked it up. "Hello?... Wow, just last night?... Of course we'll come see them. Can we drop by in about an hour?... Thanks, Professor."

"Was that professor Oak?" she asked. Ash nodded. "What did he want?"

"Haley had her babies last night."

"That's fantastic! Wait, babies? Two?"

"Yeah. Two boys. Twins. They had no idea. How, I don't know. But apparently Gary's over the moon. He didn't tell me their names, though."

"And we have to be there in an hour?"

"Yeah."

Misty threw the dishes in the sink and darted up the stairs to shower and get ready.

~*~*~*~

An hour later, Ash and Misty stood outside of a maternity room in the local hospital. Gary Oak stepped out of the room, beaming to rival a lightbulb, and closed the door gently behind him.

"Hey, Ketchums. Granddad said you were coming. Haley's got the boys. Go on in; I'll just be a minute."

Misty entered the room first, with Ash close behind. Haley grinned when she saw them, holding a bundle swathed in blue. The other baby lay in a small bassinet next to the bed.

"Hi, Misty, Ash. Gary said you were coming."

"How are you feeling, Haley?" Misty asked, moving to the edge of the bed.

"Oh, if only people would stop asking that!" she chuckled. "The doctor, the nurses, Gary...I'm doing fine. Would you like to hold one of the boys?"

"Of course!" Misty held out her arms and Haley passed her the baby she was holding. "Oh," she gasped lightly, "he's...so small!"

"They both are. But both very healthy, thank goodness. Everyone's scratching their heads as to just how we never knew there would be two!" she giggled. "But it doesn't matter to us. In fact, it was a great surprise."

"What are their names?" Ash, who had been looking silently at the tiny figure in the bassinet, spoke up.

"Misty's holding Garret. He's Gavin. They're identical twins." It was true. Both boys had hair a shade somewhere in between Haley's strawberry blonde and Gary's brown. The end effect was a light brown with a tint ever so slightly red.

For Ash, it was easy to see the utter joy on Misty's face as she held the newborn. Her emerald eyes shone as she gazed at him. With one arm she cradled him gently. A finger on her other hand was tightly in his grasp. Garret made small squeaking noises. Haley giggled.

"I think he likes you." she said. The infant opened his eyes slowly and looked at the redhead holding him. Misty noticed the deep blue of his eyes for a brief moment before he started to squall. "Or not! Give him here." Misty passed the squirming Garret to his mother, who spoke calmly and quietly to him. "There, there, don't cry, baby boy. I've got you." He calmed down almost instantly.

"How do you do that?" Ash asked.

"Mother's touch," she winked. "I'm sure your daughter will do it with you, Misty. They just seem to know instinctively who you are."

"You are the one who carried them for nine months," Misty pointed out, putting a hand on her stomach.

"True. But it's just so heartwarming."

"Yeah." she agreed.

There was a moment of silence before the door opened. Gary walked in, holding a bottle of water that he handed to Haley.

"They're pretty amazing, huh?" he whispered to Ash.

Ash nodded, noticing the way Misty's eyes locked almost enviously on Haley and the baby in her arms.

"Amazing. They sure are."

**Not sure I like the way it ends, but meh. **

**Leave a review if you liked!**


	20. Chapter 20: Pendulum of Moods

**More Pokemon in this one. Just a caterpie, but it's a Pokemon nonetheless.**

**As promised, May, Drew, and little Derek are in here! Derek's three already, so he's a little tempestuous…**

**Enjoy!**

"ASH! GET IN HERE!"

Ash gulped and raced into the study where his wife had been working - now she stood on a chair, pointing in the corner at a small green Pokémon. It was a Caterpie.

"You KNOW that I do NOT LIKE BUGS!" she yelled. "Now get that - thing - OUT OF HERE before I SQUISH IT!"

Ash picked up the scared creature, trying to soothe both it and his mood-swing-prone six-months-pregnant wife. "Aw, now, Misty, it's just a Caterpie. Nothing to be scared of. Now get off that chair; you'll hurt yourself."

"Ash Ketchum, do not tell me what to do! And I said get it OUT!" she pointed at the door. He walked to the front door, opened it, and let the nervous Pokémon out. Then he returned to Misty.

"Come on, babe. Get down," he begged in a quiet voice. "I don't want you to fall."

"I'll come down when I please!" she crossed her arms over her well-rounded stomach.

Ash tried another tactic. "What about the baby?" he asked. "If you fall, you'll hurt the baby."

Instantly her demeanor changed. Her face softened in concern and her eyes glistened with guilt. Ash extended a hand towards her. She took it and stepped off the chair, collapsing into his chest, sobbing. He wrapped his arms around her.

"Ash," she hiccuped as the sobs subsided, "What if I had fallen? What if I had hurt the baby?"

Gently he rubbed her back, which he knew had been bothering her. "Don't 'what if'. Just don't. I don't want to think about it. Nobody's hurt. We're fine. All three of us."

They stood in silence for a few moments until Misty felt something. She gasped a little and pulled back, laying a hand across her belly.

"What is it?" Ash asked, his eyes worried.

He watched as Misty's face broke into a soft grin. "The baby," she muttered. "She kicked."

"You scared me, I thought something was-"

"Ash." she interrupted, grabbing his hand. "See if you can feel it. Maybe she'll do it again. Can you do it again, baby, for Daddy?"

This time he felt it. A gentle thump against his hand. His eyes opened wide. Misty giggled.

"I've felt it before, but you were never here. She's becoming more energetic by the day."

Ash just carefully embraced her one more.

~*~*~*~

May, Drew, and Misty all sat on the couch in the Ketchums' living room. Ash sat on a chair facing them. Derek, May and Drew's three-year-old son, sat on his father's lap.

"Do you have any names picked out at all, Misty?" May asked.

"We really haven't thought about it," Misty admitted. "There's been too much going on."

"Oh, I know what you mean!" she exclaimed. "With Derek turning three last month and all. He's becoming so independent," she looked longingly at her son. "But at least he's stopped drawing on the walls. We've managed to convince him that paper is okay." she giggled. "We had quite a few girl names picked out before we found out it was a boy. What were some of them again?" she looked questioningly at her husband.

"We liked 'Erica'." he suggested. "And 'Amelia'."

"Those are both really cute." Misty looked a her husband. He nodded.

"Have your sisters gone crazy with baby shopping?" Drew asked, passing Derek, who was starting to whine, to his mother.

"Oh, of course! There's a pile of stuff at their house because we haven't gotten the nursery done yet."

"You should do that soon." May warned. "You're already six months pregnant, and believe me, the back pain will only get worse. We got ours done as soon as we we're told Derek was a boy."

"I know. I was there, remember? Besides, we're going to do it this weekend."

"We are?" Ash looked at her with a puzzled look.

"Yes. We talked about this. We're going to your mother's tomorrow to pick up all of her furniture from when you were a baby."

"If you say so. I don't remember this."

"What about your baby stuff, Misty?" May asked, jiggling a fussy Derek on her knee. "Don't your parents have it anymore?"

"After four girls' worth of use, it's all beat up. Besides, I think the crib broke beyond repair." the redhead chuckled, laying a hand on her ever growing belly. "And Delia said her furniture's all in good condition."

Derek started to get upset, crying and fussing. "What do you want?" May asked him soothingly. "Tell me." The toddler just continued to cry.

"Come here, buddy." Ash stood and extended his hands to May, who, only slightly reluctantly, handed him her son. He say the boy on his arm, the other around Derek's waist. "What's up? Are we just being a bunch of boring adults?" The brown-haired child's sobs turned into whimpers at the grown man's calm voice. "I know. That happens, huh? We aren't paying enough attention to you, are we?" The boy now just looked at Ash silently and blinked his large blue-green eyes. "Whaddya say we go find Pikachu and have some fun outside?"

Derek's pout turned slowly into a little grin. He nodded and the two made their way to the door, where Pikachu joined them happily.

"I'll come with you," Drew offered. He stood and, giving May a quick kiss on the cheek, followed them.

The two women just stared in bewilderment for a moment after the door closed behind the small group.

"How...did that just happen?" Misty asked slowly.

"Wow." May smiled. "I never knew Ash was that good with kids."

"Me neither."

"He's going to be a great father." May said confidently.

"You think so?"

"Even I can't get Derek to calm down when he's that upset, but Ash... He just worked magic!"

Misty rubbed her belly and grinned. Yes. Ash would be a good father.

**Awww, Ash works magic!**

**^^ I really like writing about May and Derek. They will have to be in here more!**

**I'm working on chapter 21! Halfway done!**

**Remember that you can check out .com/story/Fate-Has-Its-Own-Path/8966/ (copy/paste in your address bar) to see the updates more quickly! I can update it from my phone, so I upload them there as soon as I finish a chapter.**


	21. Chapter 21: Swears and Socks

**OMG I am SOO sorry for making you guys wait this long. I have three chapters to upload tonight! And I've noticed my chapters are getting longer…which I'm really proud of, seeing as that's something I'm working on!**

**ANYWAY Hope you like it… ENJOY!**

"Ow, damn it!" Ash shouted as the heavy ceramic plate he was carrying slipped out of his hands and landed on his bare foot, breaking into three pieces.

"Ash!" His redheaded wife snapped, throwing him an angry look.

"Sorry, Mist." He bent to pick up the plate remnants and threw them in the trash. "I know you liked that plate."

"You think I'm worried about the plate?" she screeched, not even attempting to keep her temper in check. Ash gulped as her arms crossed over her growing belly. "I'm not worried about the plate, Ash. I'm worried about our baby! She can hear you, you know, and I don't think she'd like to hear her father swear like that!"

"All right, all right, I'm sorry. But that hurt!" he whined, plopping into a chair.

"So? My back's killing me, my stomach's already so big it's difficult to move, I have to pee every hour, and my feet are swollen up half a shoe size, but you don't hear me swearing, do you? No, I don't, because I actually care about the baby! So, Ash, I think you can suck it up and stop swearing every time you need a band-aid!" she screamed, laying a hand over her belly, which was starting to make her feel sick. "I'm going to lie down now." she muttered. Sighing, she left the room.

Ash was left in stunned silence. He should be used to it, he figured. Misty had been temperamental before she got pregnant; now there were days she was unbearable. He stuck it out, knowing it was worse for her, but a small part of him couldn't help feeling a little hurt whenever she went off at him. Especially when she accused him of not caring about the baby. That hurt him the most. Of course he loved his baby! Just because he messed up sometimes didn't mean he didn't care. Misty didn't mean it, really. Right?

But that same small part of him realized that there had to be some tiny truth to what she said. Or was it totally irrational?

Ash sighed and pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. There was only one way to figure out exactly what was going on inside Misty's head right now.

"Hi, Mom."

"Ash, good to hear from you! I haven't seen you in weeks-how are you? How's Misty?"

"I don't know."

"What on earth do you mean, dear?" his mother asked, confused.

"She's been yelling at me."

Delia chuckled. "Well, she is pregnant, though it seems to be normal for her regardless...But at six and a half months along, it's a transition time. Belly's getting bigger, aches are getting worse by the day, her mood's going to be pretty low. How is she dealing with her symptoms?"

"By yelling. At me. I screw up too much. Like dropping plates."

"Well... Just don't mess up!" Delia suggested cheerily.

"You're talking to me, Mom. Ash?" he reminded her flatly.

"Oh...right...well, treat her to a spa day. And Amilla, have her go, too. How far along is she now? I haven't talked to them much since your wedding."

"She's about fifteen weeks now. Maybe sixteen."

"She'll appreciate it too, then! And maybe you and Trevor can spend some time together? He's an expectant father too, now, you know. I'm sure he'd like someone to talk to about it who knows what he's feeling."

Ash sighed slowly. "That sounds like a great idea." he was thankful to have his mother; she thought of everything. "I'm going to go suggest it to Misty right now."

"Great, dear! Just don't disturb her if she's sleeping."

"Right. Thanks, Mom. Oh, and one more thing." he added quickly.

"What's that, dear?"

"When Misty says - or implies - that I don't care about the baby... Is she... Like, right?"

"In her head, maybe. But don't worry about it too much, Ash. It's a natural thing - she's testing you. To see if you'll stick around and be that good father and husband. Don't call her out on it, though - it's subconscious."

Ash felt his shoulders droop with relief. "Thanks, Mom."

"Any time, dear."

He hung up and treaded quietly up the stairs. He opened the door to their bedroom, but Misty wasn't there. He checked everywhere, even in the spare bedrooms they didn't use yet, until he finally found her in the nursery they'd fixed up two weeks before.

The room was a simple, monochromatic design. The walls were a pale green. The fuzzy carpet underfoot was pure white, and various furniture pieces rested silently in places around the room, waiting; a crib, a changing table, a rocking chair currently inhabited by a redheaded woman. Every fabric in the room was green or white, since they'd opted for a color scheme that wasn't pink. It was calming. Gentle.

Misty heard her husband enter the room and turned in the rocking chair.

"Ash," she whined.

"Sorry, didn't mean to disturb you. I thought you were laying down?" he asked teasingly.

"I got to thinking, Ash..."

"Uh oh. That's dangerous," the man joked, forgetting his wife's previous anger at him. She usually cooled off quickly anyway.

He walked over and kneeled in front of the rocking chair, placing a hand on Misty's belly and caressing it gently.

"No, I'm serious, Ash." he looked up at her and saw her solemn expression. "We need baby socks."

"Uh, well, yeah, of course we do." he agreed. Surely Misty was joking, playing with him, right? But her face gave nothing away. She was, it seemed, dead serious. Her lower lip quivered as she looked at him. "And we'll get them. We'll get everything we need before the baby comes."

"No, Ash, we need socks. We need them now."

"We have time to get socks," he countered. "There's still two and a half months until your due date."

"But we won't have anything to put on the baby's feet when we bring her home. Her feet will be cold!"

"Mist, even a fool like me knows every baby goes home wrapped tightly in a blanket. There is no way she'll be cold."

Misty whimpered. "Oh, Ash, those tiny little toes..."

Finally he broke down and left the house. Halfway to the store, he suddenly came up with an idea that would be far less embarrassing than buying a dozen festive little socks. He turned around and headed the opposite direction.

It was Daisy who answered the door. "Oh, hey, Ash. What's up? Where's Misty?"

"Misty's at home." he answered. "But I need a favor."

"Sure. What is it?"

Ash sighed. "Misty's got it firmly planted in her brain that we need baby socks. There's no convincing her otherwise. I was wondering if the three of you had happened to buy any?"

Daisy giggled. "Oh, we got a ton of them! They were soooo cute! They're still in the bag, I'll get them for you." she hurried into another room and came back quickly, holding a small plastic shopping bag full of socks so tiny they looked like they could be thumb warmers.

Ash let out a long, relieved breath. "Thank you so much, Daisy." he told the blonde woman gratefully.

"Of course!" she chirped.

When Ash returned home, he dumped the entire bag of socks on the changing table in the nursery. Misty looked them over and finally gave him a hug.

"Are you satisfied?" he asked.

"Yes! Now those itty bitty toes will be safe and warm!" she beamed at him.

"Good. Do you need anything else?"

"Well..."

"Oh, no," the raven-haired trainer groaned. "What is it?"

"Your baby's making me crave donuts!"

"Well, at least we can both enjoy that one. And Pikachu, too." he nodded at the small yellow Pokémon entering the room.

"Pika?" he asked inquisitively.

"Come on, buddy. The baby wants donuts, which means I have to go get them. Wanna come with?"

"Chu!" the little electric creature squealed happily, making them laugh as Ash headed out the door.

**I wasn't lying when I said there would be parallels with "Marley and Me"… I thought the baby sock thing was totally adorable. Anyone else think so?**

**On with the next chapter… Review, please?**


	22. Chapter 22: Baby Shower Surprise

**I'm not really digging this chapter, but it was something I wanted to do, so… here we go.**

**ENJOY!**

"Mom, what is all this?" Ash asked, walking into his backyard with a yawn. He shouted as he briefly tripped over a box he hadn't noticed and nearly fell, but quickly righted himself.

"It's Misty's baby shower, Ash," Delia grinned with a wink at her son. "You knew about this."

"Oh yeah. Sorry. Still half asleep." he muttered.

"Speaking of Misty, this is a surprise for her. She isn't awake yet, I hope?" his mother questioned, glancing around as she hung up a pale pink streamer between two trees.

"No, not yet. For the past four months, she's been sleeping later than I have. For the first time in her life."

"Well, of course, dear. She's getting more rest now. Being pregnant is tiring, and it's only going to get harder." Delia moved to lay out tablecloths over a few folding tables. Ash, still fuzzy-minded from sleep, reached to help and almost tripped on another box. "Just go sit, Ash. Don't worry about it, I'll get it. May and Dawn are going to be here any minute and they'll help."

"What about Amilla and Trevor? Aren't they coming?"

"Later, Ash. Amilla's already not a morning person and she's pregnant on top of it." They saw a car pull up in front of the house. "I bet that's May and Dawn now. Yep, it is!"

The two women strolled into the backyard. "Delia, how nice to see you!" May greeted her friend's mother.

"And you, dear. Where's little Derek? I haven't seen him in a while."

"He and Drew are going to come later. Amilla and Trevor are picking them up because I've got the car."

Dawn greeted them as well and the four caught up until Delia suggested Ash return inside and make sure Misty didn't walk out of the house. "Not even look the window," she directed. "This will be a surprise if I have to put a blanket over it all!"

When the raven-haired trainer reentered the house, he neither heard nor saw a single sign of Misty. He crept around, downstairs and up, but she was still in bed, fast asleep, laying on her side. Only one thing had changed in his absence - the bed was now also inhabited by two Pokémon. His own Pikachu cuddled next to the sleeping redhead's large belly, and her loyal partner Vaporeon stretched out protectively behind her. Ash smiled warmly at the sight of the trio - or quartet, counting the unborn baby girl - laying peacefully on the grand bed. It was heartwarming just to watch them sleep.

When Misty finally did stir, Ash moved over to the bed and sat on it gently, between Pikachu and her feet. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"Good morning, beautiful," he murmured softly.

"You're always up earlier than me now," she remarked.

"So what? You're the pregnant one. You need the rest." he laid a hand on her stomach. "Speaking of, how's the baby girl doing, hmm? Can you hear me, sweetheart?"

"I don't know that she's awake yet." Misty said. A kick to the spot where Ash's hand rested proved otherwise. "Or maybe she is." the redhead giggled.

"Of course she is. Are you ready to get up, Misty?"

She groaned. "No, not really. It's so nice to lay here in bed... Besides, I'd disturb Pikachu."

"Well, it's time to get up. I'll move Pikachu, he won't even notice."

With help, Misty was soon dressed, her fiery red hair up in a high ponytail. She examined her long teal maternity dress in the mirror and sighed.

"This thing makes me look like a boat," she grimaced. Ash slipped his arms around her shoulders and chuckled.

"Nonsense, babe. Are you kidding? You look like that beautiful Cerulean city gym leaser that just slipped a basketball under her shirt. Still gorgeous all the way around." Misty smiled as her husband gave her a kiss on the cheek.

There was a knock on the door. "Who could that be?" Misty asked, pulling away.

Amilla and Trevor, Ash thought. He jumped in front of Misty and dashed down the stairs. "I'll get it!" Misty huffed at his enthusiasm and hurriedly tried to slip on her turquoise earrings.

Ash opened the door a crack. It was indeed Amilla and Trevor. "Hey guys. Glad you're here. Are they ready around back?"

"We don't know. That's what Drew's doing now - he's checking it out." Amilla admitted.

"Well, come in." Ash waved them inside. As he was about to close the door, May showed up and stopped him.

"We're ready!"

"Fantastic. Is everyone here?" May nodded and headed around to the back again. Ash turned and heard Misty start down the stairs. "Perfect timing." he whispered under his breath.

"Millie! Trevor!" Misty exclaimed, reaching out to hug them both. "I'm so glad to see you two!"

"Hi, Misty!" Amilla greeted her, returning the hug. "How's the pregnancy going?"

"Good. And yours?"

"Great."

"Ladies," Ash interrupted with a smug smile on his face. "Why don't we sit outside? It's a brilliant day."

"That sounds great!" Amilla cried enthusiastically. "What do you think, Misty?"

"Uh, okay," the redhead responded. She was confused by Ash's expression but walked to the back door silently. Ash rushed in front of her and opened it for her. She stepped outside and gasped.

"Surprise!" called a group of friends, all smiling joyfully at Misty.

"Ash..." she turned back to her still-grinning husband, "what is this?"

Delia dashed up before Ash could respond. "It's your baby shower, dear!" she chirped. "We thought it would be fun to make it a surprise!"

"Oh, thank you, Delia," Misty blushed. "That's wonderful of you." She looked out over the small crowd with a gracious smile.

"What should we do first?" Amilla asked.

"Presents!" cried Delia, gaining a confirmation from the crowd.

"O-okay," Misty stuttered. Ash took hold of her hand as Delia led her over to a chair. "This is kind of embarrassing," she admitted to her raven-haired husband.

"Only to you." he whispered. "Just relax." Ash gave her a warm smile, trying to be comforting.

Misty shuddered a little as someone handed her a bright link box. She hoped it wasn't noticeable. Sure, she liked being in the spotlight; but she liked winning her way there, fighting for it. Being the center of attention for something she couldn't control...the redheaded gym leader wasn't sure how much she liked that.

The plethora of boxes and bags she was handed to open were filled with all things pink: onesies, sleepers, tiny hats, all manner of other clothes, blankets, pokedolls, toys, bibs, and a few items Misty couldn't even try to name. "So much for neutral," she heard Ash mutter at one point as she pulled out the fifth pink burp cloth. She tried to thank each person but more things were continuously shoved at her in rapid succession until she felt like breaking down and crying.

When the flow of overly bubble-gum, magenta, and tickle-me-pink gifts finally ceased, Ash, seemingly sensing Misty's oncoming show of emotion, pulled her quietly inside the house.

"You okay?"

Misty sighed and nodded. "That was mortifying!" She cried, a tear slipping out of her emerald eye. Ash wiped it away.

"Yeah... That's my mom... She didn't mean to embarrass you. I'll ask her to lay off a bit... Are you okay to go back out and join the party?"

"No," Misty replied, looking at him with a mischievous glint in her eye, "I'm not wearing near enough pink!"

Her husband laughed. "I knew you'd spring back. I love you, Mist. And I love you too, little no-name," he added, placing a hand on the bump of Misty's teal dress.

"Ash!" Misty giggled, whacking him playfully in the head. "Don't call her that!"

"Well, we don't have a name yet..."

"Don't worry. We'll find a name. And it'll be perfect." She smiled warmly at the raven-haired trainer before heading back out to the crowd. "You coming?"

"Of course." He grinned, joining her. They would. They'd find a name.

**Ugh I HATE the way it ends, but I'm too lazy to go and change it…**

**Anyway. Don't worry, baby's almost here. I'm getting impatient!**

**Leave a review if you liked it! :)**


	23. Chapter 23: Fire Beats Grass

**Enjoy ;)**

"I don't want you to go anywhere." Ash insisted to the woman standing in front of him. The redheaded gym leader huffed.

"Ash, I'm fine. This is a really big battle for you. I wouldn't miss it!" She insisted.

"But Mist," he whined, running a hand frustratedly through his jet-black hair, "What if something happens?"

"What could happen, Ash?" she glared at him, hands on her hips. "Just because I'm almost full term doesn't mean I can truly go into labor any minute." She held her ground although she knew it was actually possible that it would happen.

"I don't want you getting sick. They'll show the battle on TV, okay?"

"No, not okay. I'm going with you, like it or not. End. Of. Story." she snapped.

Ash sighed. He knew he was done. There was no way to keep his wife at home. Not today.

"Besides, May's going to be there. She can stay with me if you're so worried."

"It would make me feel better," he admitted as they walked out the door. Pikachu ran behind them, sparks flickering from his red cheeks.

When they reached the stadium, the couple parted ways with a quick kiss. Ash headed towards the trainers' lounge, Misty went to an area of balcony seating, where May waited for her, Derek in her lap.

"Hi, Misty!" the brunette called cheerily. The gym leader returned the greeting and took the seat next to mother and son. "Almost time, huh?"

Misty smiled and rubbed her stomach, which by now was quite large. "Another week before I'm due. I can't wait. Neither can Ash; he's beside himself with happiness. If he could win this battle on sheer joy, it wouldn't even need to be fought!" she giggled.

May laughed. "Drew was the same way with Derek. Bouncing off the walls! Floating on air, high in the sky; you name it. I think he was more excited than I was!"

Misty felt a painful tremor wave through her stomach and grimaced. May shot her a questioning glance, but the redhead grinned back. The two continued to chat babies until the announcer began to speak.

~*~*~*~

"Ladies and gentlemen, we now give you the annual Gym Battle, between this year's top gym leader and the Pokémon Master!"

Ash sighed and rubbed a small sphere with a corner of his shirt. It was small in his hand, as were the four others sitting beside him on the bench, behind the door to the arena. Pikachu sat on his other side.

He thought about the Pokémon he'd chosen to help him. Pikachu, of course, an electric type. He also had Charizard for fire, as well as Quilava. Sceptile, grass type. His Squirtle had evolved into Wartortle on its own and was with him for a water type. And then Umbreon, dark type. Quite a range. Quite a team.

The pokéball he held was Charizard's. He could almost feel the power emulating from the red-and-white ball. He continued to rub until he could see Pikachu's face watching him in the reflection.

He turned to the small yellow creature. "Ready, buddy?"

"Pika pika! Chu!" it cried happily, sending harmless sparks from its cheeks as punctuation. Ash grinned. Of course he was.

But Ash wasn't so sure if he was ready. It was a battle he'd faced before, and won before - well, once won, once lost, both times against Misty, now his own wife. He would be matched with the gym leader of Kanto who had won all their battles so far, and he would give it all he had. Of course, it wouldn't be Misty this time.

But other thoughts occupied his mind now. The baby. It would be his last battle before his daughter was born, since he was taking time off. He wanted to win this for her, but worries over his wife clouded parts of his mind as well. It was confusing.

And yet all became clear as the announcer called his name. He snatched the pokéballs off of the bench and fastened them to his belt. Pikachu hopped on his shoulder. He stepped into the arena with one phrase thundering around his head.

Win.

~*~*~*~

Hearing Ash's name called brought a tear to Misty's eye. She'd heard the same announcer in the same stadium say the same name twice before, but it had been when she'd heard her own name called, too. He had a different opponent this time.

But the redhead knew victory was almost certainly her husband's. His rival this year was Erika, grass-type gym leader of Celadon city. Surely he had at least one fire-type up his sleeve- or, rather, on his belt.

She grinned as she remembered a childhood game she and her sisters had always played - Grass, Fire, Water. The name of the hand game was chanted as players picked one of the three types and held out the type's hand sign when one of them said, "Go!" It was a simple game in meaning - fire beats grass, grass wins to water, water conquers fire. But it was a long-standing tradition.

Indeed, victory came quickly for the Pokémon master. Charizard was his chosen Pokémon. Three of Erika's strongest grass-types were wiped out in twenty minutes. The stadium was filled with smoke from the large, dragon-like creature's burning flames.

As Misty turned to comment about the battle to May, she noticed a figure slinking out of the balcony box. She was tall, with tanned skin and brown hair that ended in black tips. Her sneaky behavior made Misty suspicious, but she ignored it. Probably just wanted to avoid the crowds, she figured.

Ash cheered and pumped his fist in the air as he left the arena. Pikachu did the same from his shoulder.

"Victory, Pikachu! How was that for an easy battle?"

"Pika! Chu! Pikachu! Pi pika kachu!" the Pokémon called loudly, smiling and twitching his tail from his preferred post. Suddenly he stopped, tail rigid, ears on end, looking down to the bend in the hall, quite a ways away. "Chu?"

"What's wrong, buddy?" Ash asked.

A shape came around the corner, heading towards them. It manifested as a person - a tall girl in a skin-tight strapless red dress, with long brown hair tipped in black as if she'd dipped it into paint. Her tan skin glowed.

"Ash!" she cried, walking forward. Her voice was excited, and Ash swore he'd heard it before, but he didn't recognize the owner. "Congratulations on the victory!" She reached him quickly, arms awkwardly by her side as if she were unsure whether to hug him of shake his hand.

"Uh, thanks, Miss..." he trailed off. She seemed so familiar, but he was sure he'd not seen her before.

"Lara." she supplied, her eyes watering with tears that Ash couldn't decipher. Remembrance? Regret? He couldn't tell. "I'm not surprised you don't remember me...I wish you did." she murmured. The silence was awkward. "Um, I'll be...on my way then. See you later, Ash."

And she walked away.

Ash continued to walk down the hall towards the exit as he pondered the woman. She looked so incredibly familiar, but he couldn't place her, no matter how hard he tried.

He was greeted at the exit by a hug as squishing as Misty could give, and he forgot about the strange woman.

"How did you like that battle, Mist?" he asked his wife.

"It was fantastic! Charizard is so powerful. I wonder if even Gyrados couldn't take him out."

Ash laughed. "I'm sure that would be a match to see!"

"Ooh..." Misty whined, grimacing. She clutched her stomach.

"Misty?" The trainer asked worriedly. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I-I don't know," she admitted, bending over slightly. Ash's eyes darted around. The area was deserted, but May was walking towards them, carrying Derek. As soon as their eyes met, she started to run, reaching them in seconds.

"What's going on? Misty?" Misty grimaced again as another wave of pain hit, and she bit back a cry.

"Ash-May-I... I think the baby's coming."

**MISTY! BABY! AUGHHH!**

…**It'll be a while before the next chapter…I don't really know how to write it. But I'll try, darn it!**

**ANYWAY of course I had to go introducing somebody new. And believe me, this won't be the last of Miss Lara! Anyone want to guess just how she knows Ash? I totally want to see who you guys think she is! Let me know, please?**

**Once this story's finished I'll post Lara's fic. Likely it'll be a one-shot thing.**

**So, review? And wait, patiently or impatiently?**


	24. Chapter 24: A New Miracle

**Aaaand the baby finally makes her appearance! Sort of. No interaction yet.**

**I wasn't entirely sure how to do this chapter, so I focused more on what Ash would be feeling than the action going on… I hope it's okay.**

**And yeah, it's short, but I said what I needed to say, so whatever XD**

**Enjoy!**

"Misty, are you okay?"

"I'm...fine, right now. Nothing's happening for...for now, I think."

"I can't believe this is actually happening."

"Yeah." The redhead slumped back in the hospital bed and closed her eyes. "Me neither."

Ash was surprised at his wife's simple response. He'd expected - and figured he deserved - some sort of snide, sarcastic remark. It worried him.

Suddenly Misty clenched her teeth and clutched his hand desperately. After a moment, she relaxed and opened her eyes, and Ash could see there were tears in them. His heart lurched. She had to be in so much pain.

"Are they getting worse?" he murmured, wiping the heading sweat off of her forehead with his hand. She nodded, silently refusing to let the tears flow as she looked straight into his eyes.

"I'm so scared." Her voice was little more than a breath, but it all but killed Ash. Misty never admitted she was scared. It ripped him in two.

"You're so brave, Mist." he muttered softly into her ear. "So brave and beautiful. You'll get through this."

"We." she corrected with a small smile. "We'll get through this."

Ash smiled back. Misty was being her bravest; for him, he knew, even though she was terrified, she was smiling.

A while later, a nurse entered the room. Checking one of the monitor screens, she nodded at Ash. "There's a temporary lull in the contractions. I believe you have a few people to, um, address in the hall."

The man looked at his wife, who grinned and squeezed his hand. He returned them and stepped out of the room.

A horde of people surrounded the door the instant he opened it. He was staring into the faces of friends and family, being bombarded by so many questions he couldn't hear one.

"Hold it, hold it!" he snapped, putting his hands up. "What's going on?"

"That's what _we_ want to ask _you_!" May answered. "It's been nearly eight hours!"

Ash glanced out the window at the end of the hall. He could see stars against a pitch black sky on the other side of the glass. His eyes widened. "It's been that long?"

"Um, yeah." Dawn replied, one eyebrow raised. "So...any baby yet?"

Ash shook his head, miffed by her blatancy. He was irritable and after being by Misty's side for so long, he was exhausted. "It's coming, don't worry. There's a lull or whatever she called it right now."

"We could be here all night." May informed the blue-haired girl, wrapping an arm around her.

"_All night?_" she gasped. May nodded and pulled the girl closer to her.

Delia stepped up and took her weary son in a hug. "And we'll all stay the entire night if we have to." Everyone in the hall nodded. Ash took in the people. There were May and Dawn, plus Misty's older sisters clutching each other in worry, and Amilla leaning against Trevor, sitting on a bench, Trevor stroking her tan hair. Brock sat on her other side, head in one hand, the other resting on Pikachu, who was sleeping in his lap. Everyone awake had a solemn, scared expression.

Ash sighed. Misty's parents were nowhere to be seen, of course.

The door to the room opened. The nurse peeked out at Ash, nodded, and turned away. He gave his mother a quick embrace and slipped back into the room, to the chair at Misty's bedside. She barely acknowledged him until he took her hand, and then she squeezed it with everything she had.

The next period of time seemed to both drag on and pass swiftly. Every raw emotion racked its way through Ash's body; sickening anxiety, bitter guilt and utter terror whenever Misty cried out in pain, and then pain of his own as his fingers were squished like a tube of toothpaste with every one of her contractions.

And finally, sweet, euphoric joy as the screeching notes of a baby's cry reached his ears.

The sound froze him solid. He couldn't move; he couldn't process anything but crying. The first noise of the new miracle in his life.

His newborn baby girl.

**Hope you liked. The next chapter is in the works!**

**Leave a review, please! I love reviews, they ROCK and just one review MAKES MY DAY. To everyone who's left a review: You are AMAZING and thank you SO MUCH.**


	25. Chapter 25: Eyes

**So, here ya go. The baby makes her first ACTUAL appearance in this one.**

**Enjoy!**

_Breeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!_

Ash's head jerked up, the screeching sound shocking him out of deep thought. His eyes snapped to the woman lying in front of him; her eyes were clenched closed, her face as red as her fiery hair, and damp with perspiration. Her breathing was shallow, and he glanced wildly around for somebody. Anybody. Finally he called out, "Nurse!" A white-uniformed woman ran in and dashed to the redhead's side, taking pulse and checking screens. Ash just sat, numb, staring at his wife's delicate face and clutching her thin hand like it was all he had. He wasn't sure what was going on. All he knew was that something was wrong. And that he could lose his love, right then.

May chewed on her lip nervously as she stared down at the ground, leaned up against the hospital wall. Dawn, asleep, was sitting on the floor, leaned up against the brunette's legs, her own sprawled out in front of her.

"It's been nearly four hours since we've heard anything from Ash."

May looked up at the low, quiet voice. Brock was looking at her, a worried expression on his face.

"That long?" she replied tiredly, taking a glance around at the others gathered. Dawn was asleep at her feet. Directly across the narrow hall from her was the bench Brock was sitting on. Amilla and Trevor were both asleep, his arms wrapped gently around her body, and sat on the same bench. Just feet down, along the same wall May leaned on, another bench. Delia was on the close end, just barely awake, eyes slowly blinking; open, shut. Pikachu had relocated to her arms and slept soundly. On the other end of the bench, Misty's three sisters were slumped in a cluster of arms and legs.

May sighed as Delia finally let her eyes slide shut. "What time is it?"

"About two in the morning." The brunette groaned quietly and then snapped to attention as a door opened and the tired figure of a raven-haired man stepped out and faced them.

"Ash." she whispered. "What's going on?"

He took in the sleeping group and muttered, "I'm a father."

Brock and May exchanged a brief look, weary smiles on their faces. Then the brunette noticed Ash's somber manner. Her eyes filled with concern as she asked breathlessly; "Is something wrong?"

"The baby was born about five minutes ago." he replied mechanically. "Something freaked out on Misty's monitors. I think she almost...died." he choked up as tears made their way to his eyes; the full impact of his words hit him all at once like a punch to the gut. He doubled over, and Brock jumped up and rushed to his friend.

"It's okay, Ash. Come here." He took the shaken man into his arms. May, gently shaking off her blue-haired attachment, walked over and laid her hand on Ash's arm.

"Is she okay now?" she asked under her breath. Ash pulled back from Brock and nodded.

"She's okay. She's fine."

A nurse stepped out of the room and addressed Ash. "I thought I'd find you out here. Misty's awake. I need to talk to the both of you."

Entering the room, Ash's head cleared significantly when he saw Misty smiling weakly at him from the bed. He walked over and gave her a light kiss on the cheek and sat on the chair beside her again. The nurse cleared her throat and they both looked at her.

"Your baby is in the infirmary. There were no complications with the birth that we can see, but she was having trouble breathing on her own, so we put her in an oxygen crib. She'll only need it for a couple of hours, and then we can bring her in to you. We need to observe her for a while."

Ash and Misty exchanged worried looks.

"Don't worry, please. She's fine. It's more common than it seems. I think you both should try to get some sleep."

Now the couple's eyelids drifted closed, despite any weak efforts to try to stay awake.

"Ash. Ash? Ash, wake up!"

The man's eyes flitted open at his wife's voice.

"Huh? What's going on?" he mumbled wearily, lifting his head from where it had rested on his arms on the bed and straightening up in the chair.

"The nurse is back, Ash." He turned his head to where she motioned.

"Good morning." she greeted them tiredly. "Good news. Your baby's been out of the oxygen for an hour and is doing fantastic. No heart or breathing problems. She's perfectly healthy now."

"What time is it?" Ash slurred.

"About seven." the nurse replied. "Would you like us to bring her in?"

"Yes!" Misty chimed. Ash wondered how she could be so energetic. He was about to fall asleep again.

And then he knew. The nurse left and quickly reentered, carrying a small bundle swaddled in a pale pink receiving blanket. She handed it to Misty, who carefully took the bundle in her arms, and left. Ash saw his wife's emerald eyes twinkle as her face broke out into a glowing smile. He stood and peered over her shoulder.

All he could see was a face. The baby's features were soft and relaxed, and he figured she was asleep. Misty stroked the top of her head gently, and he could make out the color of a few wispy hairs; black as midnight with an orange streak down the right side of her head. He smiled. A perfect, tiny mix of the both of them.

"Do you want to hold her?" Misty asked almost reluctantly. Ash nodded and leaned over to retrieve the baby.

Once she was in his arms, she started to squirm. Ash's eyes widened as he struggled to hold her.

"Whoa there, sweetie. You don't have to do that; it's just me. It's just Daddy." At the sound of his voice, the baby calmed. After a minute, her eyes started to flicker, just a little bit. "Uh, Mist?" he asked.

"Hmm?"

"Is it...normal for her to open her eyes?"

"Let me see." Ash sat on the chair and moved it so they could both see her face. "Talk to her, Ash. She seems to respond to your voice."

"Um...okay." he paused uncertainly. "Hey, baby girl. It's Daddy. Do you want to open your eyes for me? Let Mommy and Daddy see those pretty eyes. I bet they're pretty, just like Mommy's." Misty smiled and blushed.

Finally, she did open her eyes. Both parents gasped.

"Ash, they're - they're gorgeous!" Misty's hand flew to her mouth.

"You don't have to tell me that."

The baby's eyes were wide open as she stared directly at her father. They were blue-green; the bright cyan color of the sky whirled with shades of green the color of summer grass.

"But I was right." Ash boasted proudly. "They are as beautiful as her Mommy's."

A multitude of faces whipped around to face Ash as he stepped out of the hospital room.

"Hey, guys." he greeted them, russet eyes wide with excitement. "Guess what?"

Tired faces turned to each other, now brimming with joyful anticipation, but nobody had the energy to speak what they were thinking. So he told them.

"I'm now the father of a very beautiful baby girl."

A mass of people attacked him all at once, hugging him and squealing congratulations. Ash struggled to break free, and eventually managed to wriggle out of the bubble of euphoria he hadn't even known the lethargic group could possess. He found himself in front of his mother, who was grasping a struggling Pikachu.

"Hey, Mom. Hey, Pikachu. Wanna see her?" he asked.

"Pika! Pika pi!" the yellow creature cried, finally escaping the woman's hold to sit on his trainer's shoulder. Delia simply nodded.

He lead them into the room. Misty looked up from the baby and smiled. "Hello, Delia."

"Hello, Misty." she greeted the new mother. "How are you?"

"Exhausted." she replied with a laugh, handing the sleeping baby to Ash.

"Better get used to it." Delia turned her attention to her son. "Oh, careful, Pikachu."

The Pokémon was staring at the little thing in his trainer's arms, his black eyes as wide as they could be, his ears and tail pricked high. "Pika! Chu." he chirped in approval.

"I think she probably smells like you, Ash." Misty suggested. Ash glanced at her, then at Pikachu, who climbed from his shoulder to his head, let his ears and tail droop, and closed his eyes with a content sigh.

"I guess he approves." The raven-haired man chuckled, passing the child on to his mother.

"Oh, she's so cute!" She chimed. "Have you two decided on a name?"

The couple's heads whipped around to face each other so fast Pikachu almost slid off of Ash's with a startled squeak. The looks of shared horror on their faces told Delia everything.

"We...didn't even narrow the names down that far..." Misty murmured, her face reddening with a blush. "We just didn't have time."

"Well, you'll have to figure that out, then!" Delia said, returning the newborn to her father. "Now, I know that not a single person out there is going to leave and rest in the comfort of their own homes until they see the baby. Do you want me to send someone in?"

Ash nodded. "Send in Brock, would you?" His mother smiled and placed a light kiss on her son's forehead before leaving the room.

Ash and Misty exchanged a look, and Misty smiled. Pikachu, deciding Ash's head moved too much for him, jumped down to the hospital bed and climbed up into the arms of the human he loved second-best. Or, maybe, all three of the family members tied for first in the electric Pokémon's heart.

**Meh, not sure I like the way it ends. This happens too often. Either I love it, or I hate it.**

**But leave a review if you liked it, this hospital part's going to take a few chapters because I wanna go slowly. So onto the next! *waves sword***


	26. Chapter 26: Naming The Game

**Firstly: Happy Birthday pokeshippy! Thanks for all of the great reviews you've left! I dedicate this chapter to you :D**

**Secondly: Thank you to EVERYONE for ALL of the reviews! You guys have made it fantastically fun to write this story. **

**Thirdly: This chapter was hard. It took me all of a week :0 because I got to one point then stopped, and had an idea, went with it, and got stuck Xo soooooo it took a while but here it is! The name is revealed! (Of course, if you've read any of my short stories, you already know, but whatever)**

**I know you've been waiting, so enjoy**!

* * *

Ash stroked the top of his baby's head very gently, letting out a long breath. She was waking up now, but still relaxed in his arms. He couldn't help but smile; his newborn baby girl, perfectly healthy, her mother beside him - all was right with the world.

Except for one thing.

"Your mom was right." Ash gazed at his wife, who lay in the hospital bed, scratching Pikachu behind the ears with a worried look on her face. "We need to give her a name. She can't just be 'the baby' forever."

"Sure she can," Ash argued with a grin. "She's always gonna be my little baby, right?" he asked the silent infant's teal eyes, wide with curiosity. "Never gonna grow up. Always gonna be my little baby girl." he cooed.

"I like 'Caterina'." Misty interrupted, causing the raven-haired man to glare.

"Her name should start with an 'A'." he declared.

"You egotistical brat," Misty scolded. "Maybe it should start with an 'M'."

"Her middle name can start with an 'M'."

"No, her first name."

"Well, I still like 'Emily'!"

"That doesn't start with an 'A'." Misty pointed out.

"Then put one in front of it."

"Like 'Amely'?" Misty tried. "Hey, that's kinda cute."

"See? I have good ideas sometimes."

"But," the redhead interjected, "I'm still not sure I like it."

"You just said it was cute." Ash's dumbfounded expression brought a small smile to Misty's face.

"It doesn't start with an 'M'." she tried halfheartedly.

"So?" Ash spat.

Their argument was interrupted by the door opening. A rather tired but cheerful Brock stepped in.

"Hey guys. Misty, how're you doing?"

"Fine."

"So where is the little sweetheart?" Ash turned so his back no longer faced Brock and beamed proudly.

"Right here." he handed the baby over to the man, who laughed at the girl's strange facial expression as she studied this new person's features with discriminating teal eyes. "Technically," Ash explained, "you're the first person she's seen, besides us. She was asleep until a couple of minutes ago."

"I still like 'Caterina'." Misty, not one to let a topic go easily, muttered under her breath. Ash groaned.

"Misty, that doesn't start with an 'M'. And I don't think 'Materina' would...well, work."

"You guys are thinking of names, huh?" Brock asked. "You know one I think would make sense?"

"What's that?" Misty asked, genuinely curious.

"'Mariam'." The new parents exchanged thoughtful glances. "It means 'of the sea'. I figured it'd work pretty well, given that Misty loves water."

"Aww, that's really cute!" the redhead squealed. "And it starts with 'M'!" she giggled, looking teasingly at her husband. Pikachu sighed and slipped from her grasp.

"You want an 'M' name, huh?"

Ash and Misty answered simoultaneously; 'no' and 'yes', respectively.

"I think her name should start with 'A'!" Ash argued. "Now you're siding with Misty. Whose best friend are you, anyway?"

"As far as I know, both of yours." The man replied. "Besides, that was accidental. I wasn't trying-"

"Pika!"

Four heads turned toward the electric Pokémon, who sat on a small table next to the hospital bed, on the other side of Misty. He was poking at a small piece of paper.

"Oh, Pikachu..." Misty muttered in a weak attempt to stop the creature.

"Pikapi." He took the paper in his mouth and bounded across the bed and onto Ash's shoulder, handing it to the man.

"What's this?" he asked, reading over the scrawl.

"It's a list of names." Misty answered as a pink blush of embarrassment spread over her face. "You were asleep this morning, so I just... Wrote some stuff down."

Smirking, Ash read the list out loud. "'Anastasia, Annika, Abigail," As he read, his smirk became a small, content smile. "Addison, Azure... Alison." He lingered over the last one. "Misty..." he whispered, "These all start with 'A'."

"I thought it should." she admitted.

"So..." The two looked up at Brock, who looked a little flustered, being in the middle of the situation and still holding the newborn, who was sleeping again. "You argued for nothing?"

"Pretty much." Ash sighed. Misty gave them a sheepish grin. Ash held the paper for Pikachu, who was still on his shoulder, to see. "I kinda like these, actually. Do you, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" the creature chirped, pointing a chubby finger at the last name on the list.

"Yeah, I like that one, too." Ash said, the electric mouse rubbing against his cheek.

"Which one?" Misty asked quietly. Ash folded the paper so it was the only name showing and handed it to her. She smiled and nodded. "What about a middle name?"

"I think," Ash smirked again, "We already know." The raven-haired father looked pointedly at Brock, whose attention was focused on the bundle in his arms. After a moment Ash's gaze returned to his wife, who nodded. "Brock?" he asked softly but excitedly, gaining the man's attention. Misty held her arms out and the baby was returned to her.

"Why don't you ask someone else to come in?" Misty suggested. "Oh, and tell Delia... that she can inform everyone she has a granddaughter named Alison Mariam Ketchum."

Brock smiled proudly, nodded, and left the room. Pikachu jumped off of his master's shoulder and followed the man out the door.

Misty sighed and faced Ash, her emerald eyes locking with his russet ones. "It's perfect," she whispered.

"Yeah," he agreed, leaning down to plant a kiss on the baby's forehead. "Perfect, just like her."

Awwwww, Ash is so sweet. But Misty has to have her moments, too. Hehe.

* * *

**So once more, THANK YOU for all the reviews and leave one if you liked this chapter!**

**Don't worry, there'll be more of Alison Mariam Ketchum to come!**


	27. Chapter 27: A Daughter's Grudge

**All right, this was something I really wanted to do: Misty and her mother. It may not be the best chapter, because I was almost asleep as I wrote it, but it's something, and I want to finish this story soon. So here you go!**

**By the way, this happens the same day as the last chapter, just later. **

**Enjoy:)**

* * *

"Ma'am, we don't allow visitors after hours."

"I know it's late, but she's my daughter and that's my granddaughter. I _have_ to see them, and I won't be in town for long."

"I'm going to have to ask you to come back tomorrow."

"I just got in twenty minutes ago and I have to be at the airport in an hour. This is only a connecting flight, do you understand? I don't know if I'll be in town again soon."

"Well..."

"I'm begging you."

"I'll see if she's awake."

...

There was a gentle knock on the door. Misty stirred and sat up groggily, muttering "Come in."

A nurse cracked the door a bit. "I do hate to bother you, but there's, um, someone here to see you." She was whispering, but the room was silent and it was easy to hear her.

"It's almost ten forty-five." Misty protested.

"Yes, I understand, but she says this is...urgent."

"Fine."

The nurse's face disappeared from the doorway and a different figure stepped in. She was slim, and tall, and even in the dim light Misty recognized her instantly. Her long, wavy hair was dyed a silvery blonde, but it hadn't been touched up recently, and the roots still showed a fiery orange. Her tired eyes were a dark green, standing out against her pale skin.

Misty's face scrunched up in confusion. If she thought about it, with scorn as well, from a deep grudge she hadn't thought about in years. She sighed and looked the woman in the face before speaking.

"Mom?"

"Misty, dear, how is my precious girl?"

"Why are you here?" Though she hadn't intended it, a cynical note soured her voice.

"Well, I heard about the baby, and I came to see how my precious daughter and granddaughter were!"

"Who told you?" she asked. "_I_ certainly didn't."

"Daisy did, baby. You know we're still close." She moved to pat Misty's leg, but the redhead drew them up under her.

"I haven't seen you since I was nine." she cried, her voice rising. Hurriedly she glanced over to her side, where the bassinet rested, and the corner, where Ash slept, Pikachu on his lap, twitching an ear.

"I can't see you once in a while?"

"Oh, so twelve years is just a _while_? What am I supposed to say to her when you show up in twelve years, 'oh, this is just your long-lost grandmother who has no real interest in you except to visit once every once in a while, which by the way is twelve years'?" she spat, trying to keep her voice in check. It was unsuccessful; Pikachu lifted a sleepy head.

"Oh, Misty," the woman made a wounded face and held a hand over her heart, "I'm hurt."

"You're _hurt_? _You're_ hurt? What about me? I haven't so much as gotten a phone call since I saw you last. You weren't even at my _wedding_! You haven't even met my husband."

The tall woman cast an condescending eye at Ash, snoring in the corner. "Well," she said, dragging the word out, "he doesn't look like the sort I'd imagine you with, Misty."

"What do you base that on, me when I was _nine_? He is not only my husband, he is my best friend. Besides that, we have both had a couple of very hard days. What is he supposed to look like, Arceus?"

"Watch your mouth." her mother warned.

"You don't get to say anything to me! And you most certainly do not deserve to be in my daughter's life. At all. You'll barely be there anyway. So just go." she waved her hand towards the door.

Pikachu, seeing his master's wife in distress, hopped up on the bed and glared at Misty's mother, sparks flickering from his cheeks. "Pika. Ka-pichu." he warned.

The woman recoiled, almost shrieking. "What is that-that rat?" she cried.

"Oh, _now_ you've done it." Both women turned toward the deep voice in the corner. Ash was standing, perfectly conscious, his hat perched backwards on top of his head. His russet eyes glowed with an irate fire that indicated he'd heard every word. "_Pikachu_ hates being called a rat," he explained, emphasizing the creature's name. "So I think you might want to apologize."

Instead, the blonde scoffed, flicked her hair, and marched out the door, calling, "I don't know _why_ I even came!"

As soon as the door closed, Misty slouched and sighed shakily. Ash, still angry, growled under his breath. Pikachu stood and fell backwards, moaning in exhaustion.

And then Alison started to cry. Misty quickly reached over into the crib and picked up the baby, holding her close, whispering softly. Ash couldn't do anything but stand there, and Pikachu just watched the scene curiously from his position.

The girl soon quieted, but Misty continued to hold her as if she'd fallen asleep in her pose. Ash sat beside them, almost squishing Pikachu, who darted out of his way, and wrapped his arms around Misty.

After a minute, they broke apart, and Misty laid Alison in the bassinet. Pikachu hopped in beside the baby, curling up beside her, like he was protecting her. Both parents smiled warmly at the sight, and Ash pulled his wife closer once more, stroking her fiery hair.

"It's okay," he whispered. "Everything's fine."

"I thought she cared," Misty whined, starting to cry. "When I was little, I thought she cared. Before Daddy..." At her mention of her father, she began to sob.

"Don't worry," Ash mumbled soothingly, "It's gonna be all right. It won't happen to us. We won't let it, okay?"

Misty nodded weakly.

It had been a couple of difficult days, indeed.

* * *

**Before you ask, what happened with Misty and her father will be explained next chapter. I'm already working on it! Sort of X3 It might be the chapter afterwards, depending on what I feel like doing. **

**So, leave a review!**


	28. Chapter 28: The Day's End

**Holy Mewtwo, it's been a long time since I've updated. Sorry guys! I hope you like this chapter. I've had some weird writing block lately, so it's been difficult.**

**So here we are. The last chapter of the first completed story I've ever done. I didn't realize it would be the last until I was done...**

**So many things to say; so many people to thank!**

**That's at the end of this chapter.**

**Like I said, I hope this chapter is decent enough. Sigh.**

**And I might as well put this here: I don't own Pokémon. Never did, probably never will (If I did, Ash and Misty would totally be in love) so this is just for fun, nonprofit, whatever. Forgot to put a disclaimer on the first chapter, so why not the last?**

**Anyway.**

**Enjoy**

* * *

With a smile at the small pink-swathed bundle in her arms, Misty opened the door to her home and stepped inside. Pikachu rushed past her, meeting Vaporeon as the water type descended the stairs.

"Hello, Vaporeon. I have someone I want you to meet." The Pokémon perked its fin-like ears in curiosity, sniffing the air. Misty took a few steps into the front hall, so as to let Ash through behind her, and stooped down on her knees. "Alison, meet my most loyal friend." The creature trilled in joy at the praise and stuck its face closer to the bundle. The baby's teal eyes widened and she stretched out a delicate hand, which Vaporeon sniffed before giving a feline grin. "You like each other, don't you?" the redhead asked, her grin echoing her blue partner's.

"I sure hope so." Ash called from the living room, where he had set down everything he was carrying. "They both live in this house."

"Of course." Misty giggled.

"Hey, guess what?" The raven-haired man smirked

"...What?" his wife asked reluctantly.

"We're home."

And the two shared a soft smile.

...

* * *

…

That night, they slipped into bed, quietly. With a sigh, Misty laid her head back against the pillow, content to be in her own home for the first time in days.

She was preparing to drift off to sleep when Ash posed a question.

"Do you think I'll be a good father, Mist?"

The redhead stared at her husband in a certain state of shock. He was not one to put things so blatantly.

"Will be? Ash, you're already a fantastic father."

She was met with silence.

"You're thinking of your dad, aren't you?" she whispered. He nodded slightly, running a hand through raven-colored hair.

"I can't help but think I'll do what he did."

"Why would you?"

"I wouldn't."

"Then why worry?"

"Because he didn't think he would, either."

Silence again.

"But you're not him."

Slowly he turned his head to look at her with distressed russet eyes.

"You're not your father, Ash. You're Alison's father."

"That makes a difference?"

"And you have me." she pointed out, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Would I ever let you leave?"

"I guess not." he managed a small smile before frowning again. "Misty, why did your mother show up?"

"I don't know why she did that. I haven't seen her in years."

"I figured that out. But...what happened to your dad?"

"He died when I was little. That's when it all sort of … fell apart, I guess. My mother didn't care anymore. She left. And I was forced to stay with my sisters."

"But they're not so bad. Right?"

"Sure."

"It'll be okay. I'm sure it will."

"I hope so, Ash."

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

And the two fell asleep, shakily confident that, though it hadn't been what they'd planned, Fate had given them a life that was just fine.

* * *

**Okay, I admit it! It sucked! And it was short! And maybe someday I'll feel inspired to rewrite it.**

**So review of you feel like it. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't.**

**And now on to the thank-yous. There's many of them.**

**Firstly, I should probably give a shout-out to Nintendo, because without their masterminds, Ash and Misty and Pikachu and all the others wouldn't exist. And that would suck, agreed? Plus, this story wouldn't exist. So, yeah, they deserve a huge thank-you.**

**Next, I must thank my aunt. She was my editor and, though she's not a Pokémon fan and admitted that she didn't have a clue what was going on with the battle scenes, stuck with me throughout this entire story. This is the first story longer than about two pages I've ever finished, and it's mostly thanks to her. I love you, Tresa! **

**And I simply cannot forget all my many reviewers. Here goes, in order of the first review each of you left:**

**nyislandersgirl – I read your "Double Trouble" and that story inspired this whole darn thing. SO curse you and thank you at the same time. I love your stories, I look up to you as the fantastic writer and person you are, and you rock. Stay that way.**

**Avenshal – thank you so much!**

**Polos Elite – your continued reviews and suggestions are awesome!**

**Diggs121 – thank you!**

**Echoing Breeze – You are amazing. I admit there's times when your reviews kept the story flowing and inspired me to write when I didn't feel like it, mainly towards the end. Your reviews have almost made me cry at times, all of the praise you've given. Thanks, a million times!**

**Wild Child 911 – Thanks so, so much for your reviews!**

**Guests: Why you no leave names so I can thank each of you individually? You're great, too!**

**Pkmn2112 – I really appreciate the detailed reviews you leave. Thank you, you fabulous person!**

**Pokeshippy – There's no words for it, you just plain rock. Thanks for reviewing ALL of my stories!**

**Meadow Wood – Your reviews have always brought a smile to my face. You. Are. Fantastic! And I love your writing, too. Just make sure you update, now, okay? **

**MakorraLove97 – Thanks for your review!**

**So I think that's it. (Falls from exhaustion) I think the thank-yous are longer than the chapter!**

**Wait! There's others I need to thank!**

**ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO WILL REVIEW THIS STORY IN THE FUTURE! I appreciate it!**

**I thank Ash and Misty, too, and all of the other characters for putting up with this story. I apologize as well.**

**Now let's just hope I am inspired someday to rewrite this chapter. Because it. Sucks. Big. Time. I just had to be done, you know?**

**And don't worry; I haven't forgotten about Amilla and Trevor. I promise! Just wait! It could be months, but I'll write something for them eventually.**

**One more HUGE THANK YOU to EVERYONE!**

**(Cue the Backstreet Boys' "Everyone". It begins to play in the background...)**

**I LOVE YOU ALL!**


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